Israeli intelligence agency was aware of Hamas attack, failed to warn Supernova fest organisers: Reports

If reports are to be believed,Israel's spies and military commanders held late-night meetings to discuss a likely attack by Hamas and the threat being faced by the Supernova music festival, just hours before the assault was carried out on October 7.

As per the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the first meeting was held close to midnight and the second around 3 am (local time). However, those who attended the meetings concluded that a training exercise was being held by Hamas on the Gaza border and that they were not preparing for a terror attack.

The warnings weren't taken as seriously and the Israeli troops were asked to increase drone surveillance flights and a unit known as “Team Tequila” - which was trained specifically to prevent abductions - was deployed to Nahal Oz, a kibbutz close to the border with Gaza. The officials also alerted two commando teams about the possibility of an incursion.

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However, no warnings were given to the organisers of the Supernova festival which was being held near Kibbutz Re’im, just three miles from Gaza, where eventually 360 people were killed and around 40 were taken hostage.

The organisers said that if the warning was given to them even an hour before the attack took place, they would have been able to carry out the evacuation of the site.

The festival was organised in close cooperation with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and was approved by the northern brigade of the Gaza division.

'Fend for yourselves', IDF told festival organisers

The army units on duty were not aware of the festival which was being held near the border.

When the organisers of the event called the IDF on the morning of the massacre, they were asked to fend for themselves, according to the report.

The IDF reached the site of the festival by around 3 pm (local time) and by then, the surviving festivalgoers had fled or played dead for hours.

Watch:Israel pounds southern Gaza after US warning on civilian deaths

The festival will be among the most highly-scrutinised parts of an inquiry being held into the October 7 attacks, an exercise which the IDF and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both maintained can only take place once the Gaza war ends.

“The military understands that the Re’im festival will be at the centre of the inquiry commissions that will be established at the end of the war,” said an unnamed IDF source, while speaking to Haaretz.

“This massacre should have been prevented," he added.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)