By Enes Canli
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said on Thursday that they had received intelligence signals indicating that preparations were underway the night before the attacks launched from the blockaded Gaza Strip, but that they had no "concrete" intelligence warning for such an attack.
Responding to criticisms of a security lapse in Israel regarding the attacks launched by the Palestinian group Hamas from Gaza on Oct. 7, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said "We had no concrete intelligence warning about this incident.
“We were unable to anticipate such an event. While there were some intelligence signals the night before the attacks, they did not point to such a move. We will thoroughly investigate the matter."
Israeli forces targeted the residences and bases of the elite commando units belonging to Hamas's armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades, which were involved in attacks on Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip, Hagari told Anadolu.
Hagari further revealed that the Israeli army had been taking precautionary measures in anticipation of a possible attack from the north. This included deploying soldiers to patrol residential areas in the region, setting up checkpoints, and laying traps in the field, with plans for additional troop reinforcements.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army issued a statement confirming the death of Muhammad Abu Shamla, a senior operative from the Hamas navy, in the nighttime attacks on Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Over 1,200 Palestinians and 1,300 Israelis have been killed since the start of the Israel-Palestine conflict on Saturday.
In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz