Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has denied a report alleging that Israeli intelligence provided alerts of suspicious Hamas activity hours before the October 7 attack, which caught the country off guard.

According to a report in Yediot Achronot, at around 2 a.m. on October 7, the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate reportedly informed the IDF Chief of Staff and an intelligence officer in the Prime Minister’s Office about Hamas operatives activating Israeli phone SIM cards—a potential indicator of an impending attack. The report noted that this tactic had been observed during a Hamas exercise the previous year.

The report further claims that by 3 a.m., intelligence officers had notified the NSC’s situation room of multiple concerning signs from Gaza, including what was described as a “meaningful indication.” By 3:55 a.m., the NSC was reportedly informed that Hamas appeared to be shifting to an emergency mode, heightening suspicions of a forthcoming assault.

At 4:00 a.m., IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly conducted a situational assessment on developments in Gaza, with findings relayed to the Prime Minister’s Office.

In a statement, however, the NSC categorically denied these claims. “Contrary to Ronen Bergman’s false publication in Yedioth Ahronoth,” the statement read, “no warning was given to the NSC in the early morning of October 7.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)