London, Thanasis Gavos

The top security intelligence official in Israel’s Southern Command had received “detailed warning” of the October 7 Hamas attack but dismissed it as a “fantasy scenario”, the Financial Times can reveal.

Citing two sources with knowledge of the discussions that took place, the British newspaper reports that the warning had been given weeks before border guards. These are soldiers, many of them women, who monitor and analyze a constant stream of video and other data collected near the electric fence that encircles the Gaza Strip.

The warning report was sent over a secure communication system and included specific warnings, such as that Hamas was training to blow up border posts in various locations to enter Israeli territory and seize kibbutzim.

The soldiers also warned that analysis of the videos indicated that Hamas was rehearsing the hostage-taking. They believed, they said in their report, that an attack was imminent.

This assessment and their warning was also based on the presence of a senior Hamas military official in the training.

“Fantastic scenario”

The senior Israeli security official’s response was that it was a “fantasy scenario,” according to the newspaper’s two sources. The result was that no action was taken.

A similar warning that went unheeded was reported on Thursday night by Israeli public television.

The Financial Times notes that Israel’s failure to prevent the deadly attack is seen as the biggest security failure since Egypt and Syria’s 1973 Yom Kippur surprise attack.

It is believed that the warning was rejected not only because it came from low-ranking soldiers, but also because it contradicted the Israeli government’s assurance that it had succeeded in curbing Hamas’ operational capability. It is also reported that the Israeli security intelligence services were convinced that Hamas wanted to avoid a war with Israel.