Israeli intelligence ‘dismissed’ detailed warning of Hamas raid

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A senior Israeli navy intelligence officer dismissed an in depth warning predicting Hamas’s raid of October 7, calling it an “imaginary situation”, mentioned two folks accustomed to the discussions.

Sentries on Israel’s border with Gaza, lots of them feminine troopers who watch and analyse a relentless feed of video and different information gathered close to the digital fence surrounding the enclave, despatched an in depth report weeks earlier than the assault to the highest-ranking intelligence officer within the southern command, each folks mentioned.

The report was despatched utilizing a safe communications system and contained particular warnings, together with that Hamas was coaching to explode border posts at a number of places, enter Israeli territory and take over kibbutzim, the particular person with direct data of the contents of the warning mentioned.

The lower-ranking troopers additionally warned that their evaluation of a number of movies confirmed Hamas was rehearsing taking hostages and that they felt an assault was imminent, the particular person mentioned. Learn extra from the memo.

• Truce replace: Qatar’s overseas ministry has mentioned the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which was agreed in trade for the discharge of hostages, will begin at 7am native time at the moment.

Right here’s what else I’m watching at the moment and on the weekend:

• Financial information: Germany releases ultimate third-quarter gross home product figures, and the UK has the GfK client confidence survey at the moment.

• Black Friday: US markets shut early on the day after Thanksgiving.

• Booker Prize: The winner of the literary award for fiction will probably be introduced at a ceremony in London on Sunday.

After increasing our rating of Africa’s fastest-growing firms this 12 months, the FT is in search of entries for the third annual record, to be printed in early June 2024. Apply right here to be thought-about.

5 extra high tales

1. Buyers are promoting {dollars} on the quickest charge in a 12 months as they elevate their bets that the US Federal Reserve has completed its tightening marketing campaign. Asset managers are on monitor to promote 1.6 per cent of their open greenback positions this month, in keeping with State Road, which is custodian to $40tn of property. Analysts warn the gross sales could possibly be the beginning of a longer-term development amongst traders to scale back publicity to US property.

2. Finland is ready to shut all its border crossings with Russia and has warned that Moscow may attempt to smuggle troopers or battle criminals into the EU among the many migrants it’s intentionally sending throughout the frontier. Elina Valtonen, Finland’s overseas minister, mentioned if Russia intensified its operation of permitting migrants from international locations reminiscent of Yemen, Iraq and Syria to cross with out paperwork, her nation may prohibit the submitting of asylum functions.

3. The Financial institution of England should maintain agency in its battle in opposition to inflation, its chief economist informed the Monetary Occasions. Huw Tablet mentioned the central financial institution had to withstand the temptation to “declare victory and transfer on” from its battle to quash inflation, because the 4.6 per cent studying in October remained properly above the financial institution’s 2 per cent goal.

4. The previous bosses of collapsed UK retail chain Wilko have been summoned to seem earlier than MPs subsequent week to elucidate why the 92-year-old firm went bust. The Commons’ enterprise and commerce committee has written to Wilko’s former chief government and chair, and representatives at accountant EY, to ask concerning the shortfall in Wilko’s pension fund and dividend funds it made “when it was closely indebted”.

5. The BBC has failed to maneuver its promised spending on music and radio out of London to fund tasks in different elements of the UK, in keeping with the general public spending watchdog. The Nationwide Audit Workplace mentioned the broadcaster’s six-year plan to decentralise operations, which kicked off in 2021, had made little change to its regional radio and music funds.

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Deep dive

After Bernard Looney resigned as BP’s chief government in September, the oil main offered his departure as the results of one man’s failure to open up to the board previous relationships with colleagues. However former workers and shareholders say Looney’s rise and fall is symptomatic of a tradition that has lengthy handled its rising stars in a different way to others, leading to a bent to show a blind eye to mis-steps till they turn out to be too massive to disregard.

What we’re additionally studying . . . 

• Mutual dependence: Microsoft’s tie-up with OpenAI has turn out to be one of many tech trade’s most profitable partnerships, but it surely has not been with out danger.

• Parallel elections: With a UK common election and US presidential race lined up for subsequent 12 months, cyber manipulation and contagious polarisation will check the well being of democracy, writes Ben Ansell, professor of politics at Oxford.

• A altering Europe: More and more harsh measures and lurid rhetoric on migration make the continent look as whether it is betraying its values, writes Timothy Garton Ash.

Chart of the day

The rise of overseas influencers in China — whom the nation seems to be “cultivating” to talk up for the governing Communist celebration — has coincided over the previous three years with Beijing’s transfer to expel some overseas journalists from the mainstream worldwide media. In the present day, greater than 120 overseas influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers defend the nation on-line in opposition to important abroad narratives. A considerable contingent hails from the UK, the US and different democratic nations.

Take a break from the information

After Elon Musk’s SpaceX misplaced one other Starship rocket this week, the FT’s senior enterprise author Andrew Hill appears at two books on wise risk-taking and embracing misfires.

Extra contributions from Euan Healy