Nova Festival Security Chief Warned of Gaza Threat Weeks Before Oct 7
Former Nova music festival security chief Elkana Federman revealed he received a warning about potential Gaza turmoil a week before October 7, which he passed up to military authorities.
Elkana Federman, former security officer of the Nova music festival, revealed in a recent interview that a week before the October 7 massacre, he received an audio recording from a soldier warning of a potential escalation in the Gaza Strip. The recording, sent on September 26, 2023, featured a soldier from the Gaza Division warning about possible turmoil during the Sukkot holiday.
Warning Passed Up the Chain
Federman stated that he immediately forwarded the recording to his superiors in the security hierarchy. According to him, they checked the matter with the military and assured him that everything was under control. Federman noted that while he never believed Hamas was completely deterred, he could not have imagined a scale of attack matching the events of October 7.
"I listened to the recording and passed it up the hierarchy. They checked it with the army and told me everything was fine," Federman said.
Soldiers Felt Something Was Coming
Federman emphasized that the recording did not constitute concrete prior knowledge of the invasion, but rather reflected the prevailing sentiment among soldiers stationed near the border. He criticized the conceptual failure that blinded the leadership to the brewing threat, noting that troops on the ground had sensed unusual activity prior to the assault.
