Nova Festival Security Chief Received Warning Before Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

The audio recording, sent on September 26, 2023, came from an IDF soldier in the Gaza Division who also worked as a security guard. According to The Jerusalem Post, the soldier heard from a division chief warrant officer about potential trouble during the Sukkot holiday, while Cursorinfo reported the source was a division commander. The soldier, stationed near the festival site in the Be'eri area, shared the information to alert festival staff.

Federman forwarded the recording to his superiors, who assured him the matter was checked with the military and under control. He criticized Israel's pre-attack mindset as a flawed conception, noting that soldiers near the border had observed unusual Hamas activity. Federman stated that as a civilian his options were limited, but according to Cursorinfo, he would have tried to stop the festival by contacting Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir if he had understood the scale of the threat.