Israel Had Prior Warning of Oct 7 Attack, Says Ex-Defence Minister Gallant

Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Israel received advance warning of the October 7, 2023 attack planned by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and that the alert was not acted upon.

According to Gallant, the warning was passed on through Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. He described the lapse as a "fundamental failure" in how the threat was assessed, and directed his criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The remarks place new scrutiny on the decisions taken in the period leading up to the Hamas assault, and on what Israel's leadership knew in advance. Gallant's account points to a breakdown at the highest levels of threat evaluation rather than a simple intelligence gap.

The October 7 attack was a pivotal moment in the conflict, and questions over the warnings received and the response mounted have continued to shadow Israel's political and security establishment. Gallant's statement adds a former top defence official's voice to that debate, framing the episode as a failure of judgment at the leadership level.