Yoav Gallant confirmed that a Shin Bet channel relayed a warning from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he would "shake the prisons" before the October 7, 2023 attack. He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of keeping senior security officials, including himself, out of key conversations with U.S. counterparts during the Gaza war. Gallant said he sometimes only learned of sensitive talks after U.S. officials called to verify details, and that he first saw reports of alleged foreign warnings in the media.
Gallant: Hamas Warned Shin Bet Before Oct. 7; Says Netanyahu Barred Him From Key US Talks
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a press conference shortly after he was sacked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who cited a lack of trust, at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel November 5, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/NIR ELIAS)
Former defense minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that Israel received a message from Hamas via a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) channel in which Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly warned he would "shake the prisons," Gallant told Army Radio on Sunday.
Gallant also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of excluding senior security officials — including the defense minister — from sensitive discussions with senior United States officials during the Gaza war.
"During the war, I learned many times about important conversations Netanyahu held with the Americans on the most sensitive issues, such as hostages and ammunition, only after the Americans called me and tried to verify what had been said in those conversations," Gallant said.
Gallant added that U.S. interlocutors' trust in the prime minister appeared low in some exchanges. His remarks follow new disclosures about messages allegedly relayed by Sinwar in the weeks before the October 7, 2023, attack.
Former Fatah official Sofian Abu Zaida in a documentary by Alghad TV, September 24, 2026. (credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Alghad TV)
A former senior Fatah official, Sufian Abu Zaida, has said he served as an intermediary in a covert channel between Israel and Hamas intended to advance a prisoner-exchange deal. Abu Zaida's account was aired in a documentary by Alghad TV on September 24, 2026.
Those revelations have intensified scrutiny of how information flowed among Israel's political and security leadership as the Hamas assault unfolded. Earlier this month the Prime Minister's Office published Netanyahu's schedule for the morning of October 7 amid ongoing disputes over the timing and nature of communications between the prime minister and senior security officials.
Gallant also addressed reports that Netanyahu had received warnings from foreign leaders before the attack, saying that while he served as defense minister he was not informed of any such warnings. "I first heard about these warnings from media reports," he said, adding: "Assuming these things are true, such a warning that a prime minister receives from the leader of a country is not a political asset; it is a fundamental failure in the overall assessment of the situation."
Context: The comments add to public debate in Israel over accountability, information-sharing and the chain of command during one of the country's most consequential security crises in recent memory.
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