Netanyahu Dismissed Warnings Before Oct. 7, Documents Reveal

Newly revealed documents and testimonies indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received multiple warnings from top security officials in the months leading up to the October 7th Hamas attack, but allegedly dismissed them. The warnings began as early as March 2023, with security chiefs requesting meetings with Netanyahu that were reportedly denied or postponed. A March 9th request for a meeting upon Netanyahu's return from Rome was met with a response that the Prime Minister would not meet with the heads of the security organizations.

On March 21st, then-Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi sent a letter to Netanyahu, warning that Israel's deterrence was eroding and that enemies were identifying opportunities for offensive actions. Halevi requested a discussion on the matter, but it did not materialize. On March 25th, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly warned that the internal rift was penetrating the IDF and security bodies, endangering the country, and called for a halt to the judicial overhaul legislation. The following day, Netanyahu announced Gallant's dismissal.

Further warnings included a letter from Amit Saar, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate's research division, on July 16th, stating that the political-social crisis was encouraging Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas to take risks against Israel. Halevi and Gallant met with Netanyahu on July 18th to urge him to stop the legislative process, and Halevi sent another warning letter on July 23rd about the damage to deterrence. Despite these warnings, requests from Halevi and others to meet with Netanyahu were repeatedly denied in the weeks before the vote on the reasonableness standard.

In August, warnings continued, with Gadi Eisenkot writing to Netanyahu about the damage to the IDF's readiness and cohesion and Avi Gill, the Military Secretary, reporting on escalating tensions from various fronts. On September 7th, exactly one month before the attack, Gallant sent a seven-page letter to Netanyahu detailing the worsening deterrence and increasing risk of escalation. Despite this barrage of warnings, the report suggests Netanyahu suspected that the officials were trying to undermine his government and derail the judicial overhaul.

In response to the report, Netanyahu's office stated that the Prime Minister "did not receive any prior warning before October 7th about an attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip or Hamas. The opposite is true. As appears in the official protocols submitted by Prime Minister Netanyahu to the State Comptroller, the heads of the security establishment claimed time and again that Hamas is deterred, that its intentions are for a settlement, and that it should be given humanitarian concessions in order to 'maintain the quiet.'"