IDF intel soldier warned officers of Hamas attack on Oct 7th, was told to ‘go back to sleep’

The soldier, identified as R., noticed unusual intelligence signals and remained at his post through the night.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

An Israeli soldier serving in the Gaza Division intelligence headquarters repeatedly warned of a Hamas attack on the night of October 7, but the concerns were dismissed by senior officers, according to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth.

The soldier, identified as R., noticed unusual intelligence signals and remained at his post through the night with another female soldier.

He tried to alert commanders but was told by female officers to “go back to sleep.”

The division’s intelligence officer, A., and division commander Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld also did not respond, despite Rosenfeld being at the base.

Nadav Eyal, who reported the findings, wrote that Unit 8200 also received additional alerts that went unaddressed.

An intelligence review later concluded that had the various warnings been compiled on a single map, the imminent danger might have been recognized.

The investigation further found that while the Gaza Division maintained a special warning model, it did not account for the possibility of a large-scale Hamas incursion.

Even in its limited form, if activated, the system could have triggered an IDF-wide alert.

The revelations add to growing criticism of the military’s preparedness before October 7, when Hamas launched its unprecedented cross-border assault.

Gaza border lookouts, mainly female and known as tatzpitaniyot, had been observing and documenting suspicious activity for months before the attack.

They reported seeing Hamas operatives training openly, using mock tanks, detonating explosives along the border wall, and rehearsing kidnappings.

Some of the lookouts recalled vehicles from Hamas’ elite Nukba unit conducting surveillance on Israeli posts.

Others noticed changes in the routines of Gaza farmers who were moving closer to the fence. Despite relaying these observations, they said their concerns were ignored.

“Why are we here if no one’s listening?” asked Shahaf Ashram, a Nahal Oz lookout killed during the attack, in a message to her mother shortly before October 7. Another lookout, identifying herself as Noa, explained, “We were just the eyes.”

Their testimonies, alongside the new revelations about ignored intelligence at headquarters, paint a troubling picture of missed opportunities to anticipate and counter the deadliest assault in Israel’s history.