The Israeli army has released investigation into October 7 attack.
The internal Israeli army probe into Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack acknowledged the military’s failure to prevent the assault, which killed hundreds of Israelis.
The military said in the summary of the report released to journalists that it failed to protect Israeli citizens.
It added that the Gaza Division was overrun in the early hours of the war, “as terrorists took control and carried out massacres in the communities and roads in the area.”
According to an official who briefed reporters about the report’s contents, on condition of anonymity, “October 7 was a complete failure, the [military] failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians.” The official questioned, “Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the [Israeli military]?”
The key findings of the Israeli army’s probe into the failures that paved the way to the Hamas-led attack included that the military misread Hamas’s intentions, believing that the Palestinian group did not pose a significant threat and was not interested in a large-scale war with Israel.
It said that the army assumed that Israel’s high-tech border fence would have thwarted any threat.
It added that the Military Intelligence Directorate dismissed information showing Hamas intended to launch a wide-scale attack against Israel over several years as unrealistic.
The directorate assumed Hamas’s late leader Yahya Sinwar was not seeking a major escalation with Israel.
The probe assessed that Hamas decided to launch the attack in April 2022. By September the same year, it was at 85 percent readiness and in May 2023, it decided to launch the attack on October 7.
On the eve of the attack, army’s top officials identified five signs of unusual activity but dismissed the threat of an imminent assault.
The perception that Hamas did not want war guided decision-makers away from taking action that might have thwarted the attack.
Israeli Army Chief Takes Full Responsibility After October 7 Probe
Herzi Halevi, Israel’s army chief, who had already resigned last month citing the October 7 “failure” said that he takes full responsibility for failing to prevent the October 7, 2023.
This came after the findings of the internal military probe were released.
In a video statement released by the military, Halevi said, “The responsibility is mine.” He added, “I was the Commander of the army on October 7th, and I also bear the full responsibility for all of you.”
The findings 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 money into Gaza and sidelining Hamas’s rival, the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority.
The Israeli Prime Minister has not taken responsibility, saying that he will answer tough questions only after the war, which has been paused for nearly six weeks by a tenuous ceasefire.
Despite public pressure, including from the families of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the October 7 attack and the 251 taken as captives into Gaza, Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry.
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