Gallant: "I first heard about the Egyptian warnings before October 7 in the media"

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in an interview that he was not aware of warnings from Egypt and the UAE before October 7 during his tenure, and first heard about them in the media in recent days. Gallant added that he does not recall a visit by the Egyptian intelligence chief to Israel before the attack, but confirmed a message from Hamas about Sinwar's intention to shake the prisons.

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed in an interview with Galei Tzahal that he was only exposed to reports about the Egyptian and Emirati warnings before the October 7 attack in recent days, through the media. According to him, "I am hearing about these warnings in the media for the first time." Gallant added that he does not recall a visit by the Egyptian intelligence chief to Israel before the attack, and said that such an event did not happen to his knowledge and was not handled by his subordinates. However, he confirmed that during that period a message was received from Hamas via the Shin Bet, stating that Sinwar would shake the prisons, but the intelligence assessment at the time linked this to an attempt to release researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov. These comments come against the backdrop of reports about Egyptian warnings conveyed to Israel before the war.