PM Netanyahu’s office admits failure to pass on pre-Oct 7 attack alert, citing ‘non-urgent’ label

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem admitted for the first time on Saturday that it had received but did not pass on an alert from the security establishment, just hours before the tragic Hamas Oct. 7 invasion and attack on Israel's southern Gaza border communities.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) justified its decision by claiming that the document alert it received was defined as "non-urgent." The PMO's admission followed a report from Israel's Channel 12 News that stated that the IDF had crafted a document expressing concern about several signs of irregular Hamas activity in Gaza during the night preceding the early morning attack.

The Channel 12 report quoted the IDF officer Moshe Schneid, who led the military’s intelligence investigation, saying, “I didn’t check what went on there [in the chain of command in the Prime Minister’s Office] because I was very wary of probing the political echelon. I met the prime minister’s intelligence officer several times in the street and I was careful not even to ask him about it.”

The report also quoted outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi who assessed that “even though this could have helped us in the face of the bad things that are being said about us, we are very responsible and discreet. It’s a shame this is not reciprocated.”

Halevi also blasted Netanyahu’s intelligence officer.

“If the prime minister’s intelligence officer was a person of integrity, he should already have told [Netanyahu] that he knew about [Hamas preparations just before the attack] and did not update [Netanyahu]. [The officer] did not do this,” Halevi argued.

On several occasions, the prime minister argued that he didn't receive any specific security warnings before the Hamas invasion. Despite acknowledging its failure to pass on the intelligence document, the PMO responded by accusing Halevi of attempting to shift blame from the military to the political leadership.

“It is very unfortunate that the chief of staff chooses to publicly attack a moral and trustworthy officer in the IDF,” Netanyahu’s office stated, adding “while attempting to shift the responsibility for the October 7 lapse onto his subordinates.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has full confidence in the military secretariat of his office,” the PMO emphasized.

The military intelligence warning had reportedly been sent to seven senior Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The report also claimed that Gallant did not receive the alert because the defense minister’s office was unable to reach Gallant’s intelligence officer.

Hamas terrorists massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251, living and deceased, during the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the day that has become known as the "Black Shabbat."

Israelis are demanding answers from the country's political and military leadership on how the deadliest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust could occur within the borders of a militarily powerful Jewish state.

In a public statement in late January, IDF chief Halevi announced his resignation from the military, assuming responsibility for the military’s failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack.

“On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens. The State of Israel paid a heavy and painful price – in lives lost, in hostages taken, and in those wounded both physically and emotionally,” Halevi said. “My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

Several other top IDF officers have already resigned from their posts. However, to date, no senior official from the Israeli political echelon has publicly admitted responsibility and resigned from his or her post.

While Gallant supported a state inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack, he did not resign but was ultimately fired by Netanyahu last year due to political differences.