In dramatic testimony about the days leading up to the October 7 massacre, A., a former Shin Bet operative who held sensitive positions throughout his 37-year career, has spoken publicly for the first time about an unusual warning he says he delivered just two days before the Hamas attack. According to A., he had already realized that something significant was about to happen. Despite the seriousness of the information, however, he says no action was taken that prevented the massacre.
A., who began working with the Shin Bet at age 17, says he participated in thwarting hundreds of terrorist attacks and solving hundreds of murders of civilians and soldiers. His work included gathering intelligence through human sources, cyber operations, and contacting terrorists in Gaza while posing as operatives in Judea and Samaria. “Our job was to prevent attacks, neutralize any terrorist activity we uncovered, both through cyber operations and through informants on the ground,” A. explained. His responsibilities also included establishing direct contact with individuals directing terrorist operations from Gaza to gather intelligence and prevent attacks.
The Warning on October 5: “Something Big Is About to Happen”
According to A.’s testimony, unusual warning signs began accumulating on October 2, 2023, five days before the massacre. That day, his unit received intelligence concerning a terrorist handler in Gaza who had suddenly disappeared from online communications. The individual had stopped using WhatsApp and cut off contact with the people he normally directed. “On October 2, intelligence came in from the electronic unit indicating that the handler had disappeared. He wasn’t online, wasn’t on WhatsApp, and wasn’t contacting his operatives. That’s a very worrying sign,” A. recalled.
1+Three days later, on Thursday, October 5, A. received a telephone call from one of the agency’s handlers informing him that contact had also been lost with another terrorist coordinator in Gaza. A. attempted to contact that individual through his associated WhatsApp number, but says the response was highly unusual. “The person who answered was someone completely different. A man with a Gazan accent told me the person wasn’t available and gave no reason. He said he was unavailable until further notice,” A. recalled. When asked to contact another operative, the same individual reportedly replied: “The guys aren’t available.”
At that point, A. says he understood that something extraordinary was unfolding. “I felt something was wrong. I asked a simple question: Are we planning to eliminate a senior figure in Gaza? The answer was no. So I said unequivocally: Something big is probably going to happen.” According to his testimony, the warning was passed to his handlers at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, less than 48 hours before Hamas breached the fence, and the massacre began.
1+The Explosive Allegation: The Intelligence Reached Ronen Bar
One of A.’s central allegations concerns how the warning moved through the Shin Bet’s chain of command. He claims the information was immediately escalated from his unit through senior leadership, ultimately reaching then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. “This information goes directly from our unit to the division head, from there to the deputy head of the service, and directly to the head of the service, immediately,” A. said.
Despite the warning’s significance, he alleges that it did not result in preventive action and was never conveyed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A. directly blamed the former Shin Bet chief for the failure. “When children turn out very badly at home, you blame the father. That’s Ronen Bar. No, I don’t hesitate. He’s responsible,” he declared.
Alleged Threats After the Massacre: “I Understood It Was a Threat”
A.’s testimony extends beyond the warning he says he issued before October 7. He also makes serious allegations about his treatment within the Shin Bet after the massacre, when he began telling agency officials that he had identified suspicious developments before the attack. “I said: I warned them. And then I saw that they looked at me differently,” he recalled.
According to A., he was subsequently asked to undergo what was presented as a routine polygraph examination, during which he was questioned about possible connections to foreign intelligence organizations and Israeli intelligence bodies. He also claims that during his interactions with the agency, he was asked whether he was considering harming himself, a question he interpreted as a veiled threat against his life. “Because I became very emotional, they said to me: ‘What, are you thinking about hurting yourself?’ Now I understand their coded language. The service doesn’t speak like that to one of its own. I understood it was a threat.”
A. says he responded unequivocally: “The person who should even be thinking about suicide, about harming himself, is the person who caused October 7. Period.” He alleges that he subsequently faced threats from within the Shin Bet and was expelled from the service. He also alleges that death threats were made against him, although the interview presented here did not detail the circumstances or identify those he claims were responsible.
Shin Bet Responds: “The Report Is Not True”
The Shin Bet categorically rejected A.’s account, saying his allegations contradict the findings of its internal investigations and Hamas documents captured during the war in Gaza. “The report is not true. All investigations, as well as materials seized in Gaza during the war, showed that senior Hamas figures were, in fact, excluded from the planning and did not know the date on which the plan would be implemented until shortly before the events began,” the agency stated.
“The Shin Bet and its leadership regret any attempt to spread false information that defames its commanders and employees, past and present.” Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar also issued an emphatic denial. “This is complete fake news, an incident that never happened,” Bar stated. “The clear facts established by the service’s investigations, interrogations, and Hamas documents seized in Gaza prove that senior Hamas figures did not enter emergency mode at all during that week.”
Former Operative Challenges Denials: “I’m Willing to Take a Polygraph”
Following the Shin Bet’s and Bar’s strong denials, C14 returned to A. and confronted him with their assertion that the incident he described never occurred. He stood by his testimony and offered to have his account tested. “I’m willing to take a polygraph anywhere you choose, except at the Shin Bet,” he told C14 shortly before the broadcast. C14 conducted cross-checks as part of its journalistic investigation. However, a fundamental dispute remains between the veteran operative’s testimony and the official denials issued by the Shin Bet and Ronen Bar concerning whether the warning existed, what it contained, and which senior officials received it.