Israel has released its first official report detailing the reasons behind the military’s failure to prevent Hamas’ attack on October 7 last year. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have officially acknowledged their “complete failure” in stopping the attack, which led to the Gaza war.
According to an internal investigation report released by the Israeli military on Thursday (February 27), Israel failed to protect its civilians.
A senior military official mentioned in the report that the army was overconfident and had misjudged Hamas’ military strength.
The 19-page report states that nearly 5,000 armed fighters from Hamas and other Palestinian groups participated in the attack, killing approximately 1,200 people. Additionally, 251 individuals were taken hostage and transported to Gaza.
The report further highlights that the Israeli military did not consider Gaza a significant security threat, instead prioritizing Iran and Hezbollah.
Moreover, the military intelligence division failed to properly assess Hamas’ plans. In the months leading up to the war, the army perceived Hamas’ strategy as merely a “vision” rather than a well-organized and realistic operation.
The report also notes that the Israeli military lacked sufficient knowledge about the enemy’s culture, religion, language, and history. This knowledge gap prevented them from accurately understanding Hamas’ objectives and actions.
Due to ethnic and cultural differences, there was a significant disconnect between the Israeli military intelligence division’s assessments and the actual situation, leading to major miscalculations in preparing for the attack.