From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 26, 2024
IDF denies that it identified hundreds of Gaza terrorists activating Israeli SIMs before war, says number was dozens
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF says reports that around 1,000 Israeli SIM cards were activated simultaneously in the Gaza Strip hours before the October 7 onslaught is “false and far from reality.”
It says that in practice, “several indicative signs accumulated, which included, among other things, the activation of only dozens of SIMs, which had been activated in previous events in the past.”
“As previously published, on the night of October 7, indicative signs were received for which situation assessments were conducted and operative decisions were made accordingly,” the IDF says.
“The indicative signs are based on a variety of tools and capabilities, including technological tools whose method of operation cannot be detailed,” the IDF adds.
The IDF is due to investigate its failures in the lead-up to Hamas’s October 7 attack, including the case of the SIM cards
The IDF also asks the media to “show responsibility and caution” to not harm the military’s capabilities amid the war.
Also, Channel 12 quotes officials in the Prime Minister’s Office as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only heard of the SIM cards being identified yesterday, with the channel’s reporters being skeptical.
The PMO declines to comment.
