IDF Forces in Gaza (credit IDF)
There is more news about the warnings received about an impending attack in the days before the October 7 Hamas terror massacre. Israel’s Chanel 12 Television News reported that a non-commissioned officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vaunted cybersecurity Unit 8200 sent an email warning of an impending attack with the code phrase “the sword is coming.”
The warning specified that the “Jericho Wall” plan, a plan designed by Hamas terrorists for the implementation of an attack like the one enacted on October 7, was in play. The IDF knew about Jericho Wall long before October 7. However, this warning came late and it is not clear if the IDF could have stopped the attack. But it certainly could have taken steps to mitigate the level of its devastation.
Channel 12 identified the whistleblower only by his first initial – the Hebrew letter “Vav.” According to the report, Vav wrote, “It is likely that we will not be able to give a long enough warning to prepare to prevent the incident. This is the place to think about formulating concepts for dealing with the incident should it actually happen in order to reduce the damage.”
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Vav also quoted the Bible, Ezekiel 33:6, writing, “This email constitutes a blowing of the ‘shofar,’ because the sword is coming — the hour is ripe to warn the nation.”
More than 1,200 people were murdered during the October 7 attack. Many, including children, were burned alive. Hundreds were taken to Gaza as hostages. More than one hundred are still believed to be held there; however, Hamas has not given proof of life for the hostages it holds.
Unit 8200 is a highly secretive and elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), specifically within the Israeli Intelligence Corps. It is often compared to the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA) due to its focus on signals intelligence (SIGINT) and cybersecurity. Unit 8200 is responsible for collecting signal intelligence and code decryption. It is involved in intelligence gathering, cryptanalysis, and cybersecurity operations.
Since the October 7 massacre, there have been numerous recriminations as to who should take the blame for the failures to prevent it.
It is one of the largest units in the IDF, with thousands of soldiers. The unit recruits heavily from high schools, targeting students with strong analytical and problem-solving skills and Unit 8200 is known for its advanced technological capabilities and has been credited with developing sophisticated cyber tools and techniques.
It also deserves much of the credit for the recent advances made by Israel Startup Nation as many former members of Unit 8200 have gone on to found successful tech start-ups, leading some to refer to it as Israel’s unofficial tech incubator. It is often as a training ground for Israel’s tech industry, with many companies actively seeking to hire its veterans.
However, like many intelligence organizations, Unit 8200 has been involved in controversies, including allegations of surveillance overreach and involvement in cyber operations against other nations. Due to the sensitive nature of its work, many details about Unit 8200’s operations remain classified.
