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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released its first official account of the failures that allowed Hamas to carry out the devastating October 7, 2023, attack, acknowledging critical misjudgments and operational lapses that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 hostages.
The 19-page report, made public on Friday, offers no groundbreaking revelations but serves as a sobering assessment of the military’s failure to protect Israeli civilians from the unprecedented cross-border assault.
The document confirms that Israel’s security establishment underestimated Hamas’s capabilities and intentions, leading to one of the most significant security breaches in the country’s history.
“Failed in Its Mission”
The IDF report bluntly states that it “failed in its mission to protect Israeli civilians,” a rare admission from the military, which has faced intense criticism from both the public and government officials over its handling of the attack.
The report outlines a series of intelligence and operational miscalculations that left communities near the Gaza border exposed to what it describes as a well-planned and highly coordinated offensive by Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions.
According to the findings, the Israeli military and intelligence services had detected unusual movements by Hamas in the weeks leading up to October 7 but did not interpret them as an imminent large-scale attack.
Instead, officials assumed Hamas was primarily focused on economic incentives and governance in Gaza, leading to a “false sense of stability.”
Massive Security Breakdown
The report details how Hamas fighters—estimated to be around 5,000—breached the high-tech border fence using explosives and bulldozers, quickly overwhelming Israeli defenses.
Many IDF units stationed in southern Israel were caught off guard, and response times were severely delayed. In some cases, military personnel were unable to communicate with headquarters due to Hamas disabling key communication networks.
The document also confirms that multiple distress calls from civilians and security personnel were ignored or responded to too slowly, allowing Hamas gunmen to rampage through border towns, military outposts, and music festival grounds with little resistance for several hours.
The IDF’s Southern Command and Gaza Division are singled out for their failure to anticipate the scale of the attack, with the report stating that their “preparedness was significantly inadequate given the magnitude of the threat.”
Public and Political Repercussions
The release of the report comes amid ongoing political and public scrutiny of Israel’s leadership, with many Israelis demanding accountability from both military and government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Protesters and families of victims have repeatedly called for resignations, arguing that the failures of October 7 were not only military but also political.
Netanyahu has yet to comment on the report’s findings, but IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi acknowledged the mistakes, stating that the military “owes the people of Israel answers and action to ensure such a failure never happens again.”
The findings are expected to influence broader discussions about Israel’s military strategy and intelligence gathering, as well as its ongoing military operations in Gaza, which began in response to the October 7 attack.