Supreme Court Allows Naming of Gaza Division Intelligence Officer in Oct 7 Failures

Israel's Supreme Court has authorized the publication of the name of the Gaza Division's intelligence officer during the October 7th Hamas attack, identified as Lieutenant Colonel Aryeh Amidror. The decision comes nearly three years after the massacre, during which his identity remained sealed.

Amidror served in the Israel Defense Forces until last month, when he was dismissed from service following months of proceedings. The dismissal was based on a determination by the Chief of Staff that Amidror and others bore command responsibility for the failures that led to the attack.

Reports indicate that Lt. Col. Amidror dismissed warnings about a potential Hamas raid, codenamed "Jericho Wall," which was ultimately carried out on October 7th. Despite alerts from a sergeant first class in Unit 8200 of military intelligence, who identified Hamas preparations for a raid, Amidror allegedly disregarded the information, calling it a "completely imaginary scenario."

Further attempts to warn Amidror were made in late September 2023, but he reportedly maintained that a raid scenario was improbable and postponed a discussion on the matter until after the Sukkot holiday. He also allegedly ignored warnings from female observers serving in the division.

A review by former Major General Sami Turgeman concluded that the "Jericho Wall" document should have triggered higher alert levels. An updated version of the plan in May 2022 included a detailed raid strategy aimed at destroying the Gaza Division, which was reportedly treated with disdain.

Lt. Col. Aryeh Amidror is the son of retired Major General Yaakov Amidror, a former National Security Advisor and senior official in military intelligence, who has frequently appeared on news channels since the war began.