Three months before the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, analysts in the Israeli military alerted their superiors to a serious threat from Hamas militants — a “plan designed to start a war.” But their concerns were dismissed by their superiors, according to an Israeli official familiar with the matter.
The incident is part of a growing body of evidence that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government missed — or ignored — key warnings about Hamas’ plans to attack the country.
Netanyahu, as well as Israeli military and intelligence officials, came under deeper scrutiny Thursday after The New York Times reported that Israeli authorities obtained Hamas’ plans for an Oct. 7-style assault a year before it occurred.
Israeli experts did not believe Hamas was capable of carrying out the attack and disregarded the step-by-step blueprint, according to the Times, which drew from documents, emails and interviews. More than 1,200 people died and over 200 were abducted in the attack, the worst terrorist strike in Israeli history.
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NBC News has not independently confirmed the New York Times report or obtained a copy of the 40-page blueprint, which Israeli officials are said to have code-named “Jericho Wall.”
Read the full story on NBC News.com here
