Let's go back to the day before everything changed

Let's go back to the day before everything changed—October 6th, 2023. The world was watching other conflicts, focused on different crises, and unaware that something unprecedented was brewing just hours away.

Was this a failure of intelligence? A blind spot in military preparedness? Or something more? Today, we analyze what happened on October 6th, the warnings that were ignored, and the narratives that shaped the lead-up to one of the darkest days in Israel’s modern history.

On the evening of October 6th, while Israelis were preparing for Shabbat and Simchat Torah, Hamas was making its final preparations for an attack that would send shockwaves through Israel and the world. The signs were there. There had been chatter. There had been drones spotted. There had been unusual movements along the border.

Yet, somehow, the dots weren’t connected—or worse, they were ignored. Intelligence reports indicated heightened activity, but they were dismissed as "routine exercises." Israel’s military, known for its vigilance, found itself in an unfamiliar state: underestimating the enemy.

According to reports, warnings came from multiple sources—Egyptian officials allegedly cautioned Israeli counterparts about an impending attack. Soldiers stationed near Gaza had raised alarms about an unusual shift in Hamas’ behavior. So, the question remains: how did this slip through the cracks?

Media Bias & Narrative Manipulation

Now, let’s talk about the media. Before the events of October 7th, how was Hamas being portrayed? It’s a story we’ve seen before—sympathetic headlines, downplaying their military ambitions, framing them as a "resistance movement" rather than an extremist organization with a well-coordinated strategy.

Major outlets were focused elsewhere. The headlines of October 6th were about internal Israeli political debates, judicial reforms, and Western concerns about settlements. Where was the warning?

Social media was ablaze with disinformation. Hashtags were flooding in, portraying Israel as the aggressor, long before the first shots were even fired. The groundwork was being laid for a media war that would explode once the physical war began.

Why does this matter? Because narrative control is just as powerful as military strategy. And Hamas knew that well.

What Was Missed?

When we look back at history, the biggest disasters often come from a combination of underestimation and miscalculation. The Yom Kippur War in 1973 was one such case, and now, 50 years later, October 7th echoed the same pattern.

But this time, there was an added dimension: the role of Iran and other regional actors. Intelligence analysts now suggest that Hamas received training, funding, and weapons in ways that were underestimated. Cyber warfare tactics had evolved, allowing Hamas to mislead Israel’s defenses by using decoy maneuvers.

Let’s consider this: If we knew on October 6th what we know now—how different would Israel’s response have been? Would the military have preemptively struck? Would civilian communities have been better prepared?

The Emotional Impact

For those who were in Israel on October 6th, life felt normal. Families gathered for the holiday. Soldiers on leave relaxed with loved ones. Young people danced at a music festival.

Yet, just a few miles away, a storm was about to hit.

Imagine being one of the civilians living near the Gaza border, going to sleep that night, unaware that by sunrise, your entire life would be turned upside down. Imagine being an Israeli abroad, waking up to an onslaught of breaking news that your homeland was under attack.

This is more than politics. This is personal. This was an attack on Jewish identity, on safety, on the very idea of Israel’s existence.