‘It’s time to warn the people’: IDF intel. officer’s October 7 warning was ignored – N12 report

A warning of an imminent Hamas attack before the October 7 massacre that went unheard was revealed during a Thursday night N12 report.

The alert was written by a non-commissioned officer from Unit 8200, known as “V,” who, according to previous reports, had sent additional warnings to high-ranking officers in IDF Intelligence to prevent the Hamas attack.

Shortly before October 7, “V” sent a coded email stating, “The sword is coming – it is time to warn the people,” in an attempt to alert once more, hoping someone would take notice.

In the email addressed to several officers, including the intelligence officer of the Gaza Division, “V” wrote: “Hamas’s training demonstrates that their plan is operational and heavily practiced, meaning that even today, Hamas has forces that know how to execute  these scenarios command.”

This was not the only warning. “V” also addressed the issue of getting an alert out in time.

“It is likely that we will not be able to give a long enough warning to prevent the attack. This is the time to think about developing coping strategies for when the event actually occurs to minimize damage,” “V” added.

“The other side is determined to execute the plan. If executed, we are expected to face harsh and difficult fighting. The exercise closely resembles plans to destroy the Gaza Division’s defense array. The raid training into our territory indicates that this plan is no longer just on paper,” V wrote.

This email followed many others sent to the division’s intelligence officer and senior officers in the intelligence corps, who didn’t address them, according to the report.

“V” signed the email, saying: “This email is like the blowing of the shofar because the sword is coming – it is time to warn the people.”

This phrase corresponds with a verse from “Ezekiel,” known to every intelligence officer sworn into the IDF and the corps. It describes the role of the intelligence officer: “And the watchman, when he sees the sword coming and does not blow the shofar, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes a soul from them, he is taken in his iniquity, and his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.”

The email had many recipients. In additional correspondences obtained by News 12, close to October 7, “V” reiterated warnings based on the exercises and movements she analyzed. The division’s intelligence officer reportedly dismissed these warnings, writing that the scenario she presented was completely imaginary. 

IDF responds

The IDF responded to the N12 report, saying, “The IDF is in the midst of internal operational debriefings of the events of October 7 and what preceded them. The purpose of the debriefings is to learn and draw lessons for the continuation of the fighting. The debriefings are being conducted these days, and once concluded, they will be presented transparently to the public.”

Following the army’s response, News 12 checked with the IDF about what was done with the information sent to the division’s intelligence officer. According to IDF sources, the information in the email was not brought to the head of the intelligence corps nor the chief of staff. Additionally, the email’s contents have not been included in the debriefing presented to the chief of staff so far, and thus will be examined separately.

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