Gallant Claims Ignorance of Egyptian Warnings Before October 7

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday that he only learned about alleged Egyptian warnings regarding Hamas's intentions before the October 7th attack through media reports. "I am hearing about these warnings in the media for the first time," Gallant said in an interview with Army Radio (Galei Tzahal). He emphasized that if such warnings were indeed received, they represent a national security asset, not a political one for the prime minister.

Gallant also addressed reports suggesting the head of Egyptian intelligence visited Israel in the days leading up to the Hamas assault. He stated that he has no recollection of such a visit. "I do not recall an event of the head of Egyptian intelligence landing in Israel in the days preceding October 7th. Such an event did not happen to my knowledge and was not managed by my subordinates," he asserted.

However, Gallant confirmed that a different message was received from Hamas via the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) around that time. He relayed that the message, originating from Hamas, stated that Yahya Sinwar "would shake the prisons." Gallant added that the assessment by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence at the time was that this message related to an attempt to secure the release of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who had been abducted in Iraq.