Posted on 02/26/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Israel identified a few hours before the surprise attack on October 7th that hundreds of phones were activated in the Gaza Strip with Israeli SIM cards.
In the first weeks after the massacre, it was disclosed that Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and major-generals of the IDF General Staff held at least two consultations during that night.
The first telephone consultation was in the early hours of the night, when the first signs of an invasion appeared from the field, during which it was decided to consult again at a later time, but IDF forces were not redeployed to the region.
Another consultation was held before the attack, and again it was decided not to redeploy the forces or raise an alert in the region, but to hold another consultation in the morning.
The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) also realized that something was happening, and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar arrived at the organization's headquarters that night and stayed there until the attack broke out.
Both the IDF and the Shin Bet said that they did not think the signs indicated a broad operation by Hamas but rather rocket fire or a very limited penetration of Israeli territory.