Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (left) & Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) | Twitter
Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has disclosed that Israeli intelligence received a warning from Hamas in the weeks preceding the group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, nearly three years after the assault. Gallant said Israel received the message through a channel involving Shin Bet, the country’s internal security agency. According to him, the communication included a warning from then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he would “shake the prisons.”Speaking to Army Radio, an Israeli media outlet, on Sunday, Gallant said, “Through the channel involving the Shin Bet, we received a message came from Hamas saying that Sinwar would shake the prisons – and the assessment of the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence Directorate was that it was connected to the kidnapping of Elizabeth Tsurkov.” Gallant alleges Netanyahu excluded him from key US talks
Gallant also claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept him out of discussions with senior US officials on several sensitive matters during the war, despite Gallant serving as defence minister at the time.
“During the war, I learned many times about important conversations Netanyahu held with the Americans on the most sensitive issues, such as hostages and ammunition, only after the Americans called me and tried to verify what had been said in those conversations,” Gallant said.He further alleged that US officials had limited confidence in Netanyahu during that period. “Their trust in the prime minister was low.”Gallant served as Israel’s defence minister from 2022 until November 2024, holding the position when the October 7 attack took place and during the early phase of the Gaza war that followed. Netanyahu removed Gallant from his post in November 2024, citing a “crisis of trust” between the two. Their disagreements included differences over the conduct of the Gaza war. Gallant had advocated a more pragmatic approach centred on securing a hostage agreement, while Netanyahu maintained that continued military pressure on Hamas was necessary.Gallant subsequently resigned from the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in January 2025.Gallant says he was unaware of reported warningsGallant’s comments came alongside separate claims by Sufian Abu Zaida, a former senior Fatah official, who said he had served as an intermediary in a secret Israel-Hamas channel intended to facilitate a prisoner exchange agreement.Gallant was also questioned about reports that Netanyahu had received warnings from foreign leaders before the October 7 attack. He said he had not been informed about any such warnings while he was defence minister.”I first heard about these warnings from media reports,” Gallant said. He added, “Assuming these things are true, such a warning that a prime minister receives from the leader of a country is not a political asset; it is a fundamental failure in the overall assessment of the situation.”Gallant was also asked about claims that Egypt’s intelligence chief had visited Israel shortly before the attack. He said he was unaware of any such visit.”No such event took place to my knowledge – nor was it handled by anyone under my authority.”