Major internal investigation reveals IDF failures in October 7 attack
The Israel Defence Forces has admitted the attacks by Hamas on October 7 2023 were “a complete failure” of Israeli security and the result of many years of planning and deception by the Gaza-based militant group.
Announcing some of the findings from a major internal investigation, the Israeli military said “the IDF failed in its mission to protect people” and it was “one of the greatest failures” in the military’s history.
Nobody in the Israeli security establishment knew of, or predicted, the attacks and the force stationed on the border was the minimum required for everyday threats.
The primary focus at the time was on the threat from Iran and Hezbollah. The inquiry concluded that those actors were aware of Hamas’s plans but probably didn’t know the exact timing of the attacks.
Gaza was seen as a secondary threat and while Hamas was considered an illegitimate governing body of Gaza, there was no effort to develop an alternative.
The inquiry, which is the result of tens of thousands of hours of work by the IDF Southern Command, found as many as 5,600 terrorists broke into Israel in three waves.
On October 7 2023, 4,694 mortars and rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, and 1,320 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
As the IDF battled to regain control of southern Israel the same day, some of its commanders were forced to use google maps and mobile phones to communicate and co-ordinate.
Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepting rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on October 7. Pic: Reuters
The majority of killings and kidnappings occurred during the first two waves of attacks, between 6.29am and 9am on that Saturday morning.
Many Palestinians who entered Gaza in the third wave, during the afternoon, were from other terror organisations or “a mob taking advantage” rather than Hamas fighters trained for the attack.
In the chaos, the Israeli air force struggled to distinguish between Hamas fighters and Israeli civilians. The IDF accepts there were some deaths caused by friendly fire but haven’t elaborated how or where.
By 5pm, there were still hundreds of Hamas fighters spread out along the so-called Gaza envelope of Israeli communities, many in open areas.
It’s thought they planned to reach deeper into Israel, including Ashkelon and key air bases.
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What happened on 7 October 2023
Intelligence assessments at the time believed that Hamas didn’t want a full-scale war and lacked the capability to launch one. IDF officials believed there would be early warnings if an attack was imminent, and the strategy was to “maintain the threat” rather than neutralise it.
Based on that, officials said soldiers “were addicted to the precise intelligence information” and failed to challenge the assumptions internally.
Although there were some unusual indications an attack was under way overnight, such as the activation of Israeli SIM cards inside Gaza, duty officers didn’t think it was time-critical and further investigation was needed.
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Israeli soldiers working to secure residential areas after Hamas’s attack. pic: Reuters
Hamas activity in a specific area was dismissed as a training exercise. After consultation with senior commanders in the middle of the night, it was decided to hold a situational assessment early in the morning. The attack happened before that took place.
The scale and brutality of the attack took the IDF by surprise and their defensive strategies, including a vastly expensive subterranean wall, proved ineffective. The barrier was designed to stop mass protests and limited infiltration but not a large-scale attack. Forces along the border had been reduced because of other requirements on the Lebanon border and in the West Bank, and the IDF had too much confidence in the barrier defences.
Through various intelligence sources, including material found in Gaza, it’s now understood that Hamas’s leader at the time, Yahya Sinwar, first conceived the idea in November 2016. A plan to attack Israel was approved in July 2019.
During those years, Hamas deceived Israel, convincing leaders it wanted economic prosperity rather than conflict.
A short war between the two in 2021 didn’t inflict as much damage on Hamas infrastructure and capabilities as Israel believed.
Hamas was close to launching the attacks on three occasions during 2022 but decided not to for unknown reasons. They eventually did so to take advantage of a Jewish religious holiday in 2023.
The inquiry has also compiled 41 separate findings of battles in specific kibbutzim, military bases and key roads. Those details are being presented to the individual communities over the coming days.
The Israeli government has repeatedly rejected calls for a State Commission of Inquiry, saying the time is not yet right because of the ongoing war.
Critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say he is avoiding personal responsibility for his role as Israel’s leader at the time.
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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