After the IDF confirmed that military intelligence had warned Benjamin Netanyahu months before October 7 about Israel's enemies intending to exploit societal divisions, the prime minister's office issued a denial.
On Thursday, May 23, the IDF press office confirmed that between March and July, Military Intelligence (AMAN) had sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu four warnings regarding Israel's enemies exploiting societal divisions caused by legal reform.
This confirmation came in response to a request made seven months ago by the non-profit organization Atslakha to the court under the Freedom of Information Act.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office disputed the claim, stating, "The allegation that the Prime Minister received a warning from the AMAN analysis department about a potential attack from Gaza is false. Not only do the documents contain no warning about Hamas's intentions to attack Israel from Gaza, but they present a completely different assessment of the situation."
Two isolated observations in four documents concerning Hamas emphasize that Hamas does not intend to attack Israel from Gaza and is committed to a settlement.
The document dated 03/19/23 notes that Hamas's strategy involves relegating the Gaza Strip and focusing on the fight against Israel in other arenas.
Furthermore, the second document, dated 05/31/23, even suggests that Israel should follow the trend of regional de-escalation and take steps to resolve the situation with the Gaza Strip and Hamas sovereignty.
The assessment within these documents, indicating that Hamas seeks to de-escalate and resolve relations with Israel, was consistently shared by all security agencies, which even argued that Hamas felt compelled to exercise restraint.
The press release from the Prime Minister's office underscores, “Regarding the statement in the documents about the negative impact of disunity in Israel on our enemies, the Prime Minister himself has repeatedly warned about this in connection with the phenomenon of refusal. For example, on July 17, 2023, the head of government cautioned that internal divisions undermine our enemies' deterrence, making them susceptible to acts of aggression against us. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister was correct in warning our enemies that internal divisions will not weaken our strength and determination to strike them when necessary (04/23/23)."
