Intelligence commanders ignored soldiers’ warnings Hamas was simulating major invasion — reports

Several Hebrew media outlets report that an experienced intelligence soldier reported earlier this year that the Hamas terror group had held a large-scale drill simulating a scenario in which Israeli communities are stormed, public buildings are taken over and soldiers are killed — but that her concerns were dismissed by superiors.

A non-commissioned officer with expertise in a specific relevant field sounded the alarm about the extraordinary drill, which also simulated downing of Israel aircraft, but an officer said he believed the scenario was “totally imaginary” and that the Palestinian terror group was “boasting.”

Some others disagreed, saying the option was realistic and should be taken seriously, according to the Kan public broadcaster, but the information was not acted upon.

Another, less experienced non-commissioned officer, also tried to draw attention to Hamas drills, according to Channel 12 news. She noted plans for breaching the Gaza border fence at multiple points, and said the conclusion was that Hamas was planning a major invasion, but a senior commander told her: “These are fantasies.”

After central elements of the simulated scenarios became reality on October 7, Channel 12 quotes an unnamed member of the army’s 8200 intelligence unit saying its commanders “were told about it in real time, there were so many things that should have lit red lights.”

Last week, a report detailed charges of sexism by young female surveillance soldiers monitoring the Gaza border whose warnings were ignored by commanders in the weeks before the brutal Hamas massacre.