An investigation by Israel’s military has acknowledged its ‘complete failure’ to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, admitting overconfidence and misjudgements about the militant group’s capabilities, AFP reported.
The report said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ‘failed in its mission to protect Israeli civilians’.
The October 7 attack, which saw Hamas militants breach Israel’s defences and kill over 1,200 people, was the deadliest in the nation’s history. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the Israeli military’s response resulted in more than 48,000 deaths in Gaza.
“October 7 was a complete failure, the IDF (military) failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians,” a senior Israeli military official said as he briefed reporters about the inquiry’s findings.
“Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the IDF,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
After the release of the report, the army’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said that he took responsibility for the army’s failures. “I was the commander of the military on October 7th, and I have my own responsibility. I also carry the weight of all your responsibility — that, too, I see as mine,” said Halevi, who announced his resignation in January, as reported by AP.
The findings of the internal probe, which was released on Thursday, could pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a widely demanded broader inquiry to examine the political decision-making that preceded the attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Many Israelis believe the mistakes of October 7 extend beyond the military, and they blame Netanyahu for what they view as a failed strategy of deterrence and containment in the years leading up to the attack. That strategy included allowing Qatar to send suitcases of cash into Gaza and sidelining Hamas’ rival, the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
