Another omission: The intelligence team that monitors Hamas was reduced and did not work on Shabbat

28 November 2023   

An officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Intelligence Branch reduced the intelligence team in 8200, which was responsible for collecting intelligence about Hamas activity, so that the team did not work at night and on weekends. This was revealed this evening (Monday) by Roy Sharon on 'Kan Hades'. The same lieutenant colonel stated in a closed lecture about two years ago: "Warning in the Gaza arena will not come from the classic sources. I sign for this. Exclamation mark," meaning that intelligence about what Hamas is planning will come either from a special source or via cyber, and not based on tactical wiretaps. According to an intelligence source familiar with the details, the existence of such a team in the hours before the attack would not necessarily have been able to provide advance warning, but this will be examined in investigations that will be carried out later. However, that team could have helped provide a real-time picture of the situation, amidst the chaos of the first hours of the attack, such as, for example, where the Nuhba force terrorists were hiding. Another thing that came up: This is the same small team of that same counterintelligence officer, F., who warned and understood exactly what Hamas was planning. The reduction in the team and the hours of operation indicate a failure in the order of priorities within the intelligence system.