IDF lookouts were concerned about activity along the border but were ignored and even threatened with being court-martialed, according to reports.
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IDF lookouts expressed concern about activity along the Gaza boarder long before the October 7 terrorist attacks, according to reports.
The lookouts were telling their commanders they were witnessing unusual activity along the border for months, but they were ignored, told to stop bothering them, and even threatened, The Jerusalem Post reported via Israeli news station N12.
Some of the activity the lookouts witnessed included unusual training protocols and more people lingering near the fence, per the outlet.
One lookout informed their senior commander, the report said, but was rebuffed.
"I don't want to hear again about this nonsense," they reported being told. "If you all bother us again with these things, you'll be court-martialed."
Previous reports stated commanders told their lookouts Hamas were "just a bunch of punks" who wouldn't "do anything" when they reported what they had seen.
"A day before everything happened, I saw people with maps," one lookout told N12, per J Post. "They were looking at the fence and pointing at it. I told everyone: 'Listen, something is going to happen. I see them planning things.' I noticed that something was different on the front. I even told the person next to me in jest: 'Listen, they're going to storm our post.' It just looked different."
Other lookouts reported seeing the same drills over and over: shooting, laying on the ground, then throwing grenades.
"In the end, that's what happened to me," they said. "They shot at me, threw grenades at me."
N12 also reported the lookouts who were present on October 7 were not receiving any psychological assistance from the army and were even told they would be transferred if they didn't return to service within two weeks.
In response, the military told the outlet that soldiers were accompanied "closely and sensitively" by mental health professionals.
"Their return to duty will be accompanied gradually, sensitively, and according to each one's condition," the spokesperson said. "There is no intention of taking disciplinary measures against them. If there were conversations that reflect otherwise, then they are against the guidelines and will be handled accordingly."
