Israeli authorities ignored warnings, more evidence emerges

Confirmed reports suggest that Israeli authorities were aware of the impending plans of Hamas but chose to disregard them. Astonishingly, a female soldier who consistently reported suspicious Hamas activities to her higher-ups over a period of a year was threatened with legal action if she continued to "bother with such nonsense", as her officer put it.

Assigned to monitor the border with the Gaza Strip, female soldiers of the Israeli army regularly reported observed changes in Hamas's behavior, alleging "The Jerusalem Post". They believed these changes were alarming, necessitating closer scrutiny, which, unfortunately, never occurred.

Times of Israel also adds that the soldiers warned of unusual and disturbing activities near the border. Reports indicated the emergence of unfamiliar individuals and a sudden absence of regular farmers who were previously seen working in the fields daily.

One observer noted, at the beginning of the year, that Hamas appeared to be conducting practice runs of assaults on border towns, including building seizures and hostage-taking.

Believing an attack was not just imminent but inevitable, their fears were heightened by the appearance of a man overseeing the training, identified as a significant Hamas commander from their database of terrorists.

Dismissively, superior officers responded to these orchestrated reports as "imaginary scenarios". No effort was made to validate these observations, contend the intelligence operatives.

An observer who divulged information to journalists revealed that when she attempted to caution her senior commander again, she was threatened with legal action if she continued to "bother him with such nonsense".

The "Financial Times" pointed out that these warnings were dismissed not only because they originated from lower-ranking soldiers, but also because they contradicted the political perspectives of the Israeli government. The government was of the opinion that their strategies had severely limited Hamas' operational abilities, also believing that the terrorist organization aimed to avert a war with the Jewish nation, an inevitable consequence of such an attack.

The attacks by Hamas largely proceeded according to the pattern foreseen by the observers: specific kibbutzes were targeted, and rockets were used to distract the army from the intrusion attempts at the border. Among the casualties of the October 7 attack were several female soldiers on the bases. An unknown number were captured by terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.

When approached for a response by "FT", the Israeli army argued that their military personnel are solely devoted to combating the terrorist organization, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip. They stated that comprehensive investigations into the allegations will be conducted post-conflict.