An investigation into the failings of the Israeli military in the lead-up to the devastating Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, has highlighted gaps in intelligence gathering, flawed assumptions about Hamas, and \u201csystemic\u201d failures in the Israel Defense Force\u2019s preparedness and response. <\/p>\n
The 19-page report released Thursday by the IDF said there were gaps in the Intelligence Directorate\u2019s understanding of \u201cHamas\u2019 strategic goals, decision-making processes,\u201d and operational plans that contributed to its failure to stop the biggest terrorist attack in the country\u2019s history, when gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage. <\/p>\n
Despite having relevant information, the intelligence community failed to recognize Hamas\u2019 shift from a \u201cdetermined,\u201d and \u201cpragmatic\u201d group to one actively planning a large-scale offensive, it said. <\/p>\n
The report said that as early as 2016, Hamas had begun preparing for \u201ca large-scale attack\u201d aimed at breaching the Gaza border, \u201coccupying Israeli territory,\u201d and causing mass casualties. <\/p>\n
It identified several instances where intelligence indicators, such as Hamas\u2019 \u201ctraining exercises\u201d and operational plans, were \u201cmisinterpreted\u201d or dismissed as \u201cunrealistic.\u201d <\/p>\n
These indicators, had they been properly analyzed, could have revealed Hamas\u2019 intentions, the report said. <\/p>\n
Hamas had deliberately created \u201ca false perception of seeking quiet,\u201d while accelerating its military buildup, the report said, adding that by May 2023 the militant group had decided to carry out an attack during a Jewish holiday that would aim \u201cto shatter Israel\u2019s sense of security\u201d and potentially escalate \u201cinto an all-out war aimed at destroying Israel.\u201d <\/p>\n
When the attack happened, the IDF was \u201ccaught off guard\u201d by its scale and intensity and its Gaza Division, responsible for defending the border, was overrun \u201cwithin hours,\u201d leading to a collapse in command and control. <\/p>\n
The IDF\u2019s response was hampered by a lack of \u201csituational awareness,\u201d delayed force mobilization, and insufficient deployment of troops and firepower, found the inquiry, which added that the IDF\u2019s readiness levels were \u201cinadequate\u201d for the scale of the attack. <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s military chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi \u2013 who has said he will resign in March over the failure to prevent the attack \u2013 addressed the findings in a televised speech, acknowledging the military\u2019s failures and taking responsibility for the lapses. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our learning process. I have received letters and responses, even from people here, saying \u2018You\u2026\u2019 and I have no problem with that. I embrace it. My responsibility is mine,\u201d Halevi said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was the commander of the military on October 7, and I have my own responsibility. I also carry the weight of all your responsibility \u2013 that, too, I see as mine. And when I see any of my subordinates who made mistakes, I see my own share in it as well,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman said earlier on Thursday that Netanyahu had yet to receive the investigation. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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