• By Nidhi Giri
  • Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:02 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The Israeli military has accepted the ‘complete failure’ in preventing the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants, an internal probe into the attack has revealed. The investigation released on Thursday stated that Hamas was able to carry out the deadliest attack in Israeli history because the much more powerful Israeli army underestimated the militant group’s intentions and its capabilities.

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.

Meanwhile, several 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. That strategy included allowing Qatar to send suitcases of cash into Gaza and sidelining Hamas’s rival, the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, reported Associated Press.

Netanyahu has not taken responsibility, saying he will answer tough questions only after the war, which has been paused for nearly six weeks by a tenuous ceasefire.

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Israeli Army Admits ‘Overconfidence’

The military’s main findings were that the region’s most powerful and sophisticated military misread Hamas’s intentions, underestimated its capabilities and was wholly unprepared for the surprise attack by thousands of heavily armed militants.

“October 7 was a complete failure, the IDF (military) failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians," the official said on condition of anonymity, AFP reported.

“Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the IDF," the official added.

The official said the army had not maintained “a comprehensive understanding of the enemy’s military capabilities" and that it was “overconfident" in its knowledge.

IDF On Hamas Capabilities

A central misconception was that Hamas, which seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, was more interested in governing the territory than fighting Israel, the inquiry found.

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The military also misjudged the militant group’s capabilities. Military planners had envisioned that, at worst, Hamas could stage a ground invasion from up to eight border points, the official said. In fact, Hamas had more than 60 attack routes.

Intelligence assessed in the aftermath of the attack has shown Hamas came close to staging the offensive on three earlier occasions but delayed it for unknown reasons, the official said.

The official said that in the hours before the attack, there were signs that something was amiss, including when Hamas fighters switched their phones over to the Israeli network.