A lady grieves at a memorial for the ones killed and kidnapped right through the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border assault by way of Hamas militants, close to the kibbutz Reim, southern Israel on Would possibly 13, 2024.
Leo Correa/AP
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Leo Correa/AP
TEL AVIV — Israel’s army mentioned “evident” intelligence screw ups left it not able to give protection to Israeli electorate on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked the rustic, killing just about 1,200 other people and taking 251 hostage, in step with an respectable file on Israel’s reaction to the assault.
The investigation — which has now not absolutely been made public — main points a decades-long “basic false impression” of Hamas, in step with an English abstract of the findings equipped to NPR by way of the army. It mentioned that this allowed senior Israeli officials to underestimate the militant crew’s functions and intentions main as much as the assault. The army operated on an means “in line with the (fallacious) assumption that Hamas used to be neither nor making ready for a large-scale warfare,” in step with the abstract. It said that Israeli intelligence officers idea the crowd used to be extra concerned about governing Gaza, which it seized regulate of from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, than combating Israel.
“In hindsight, Hamas systematically hired deception techniques that strengthened this belief. On reflection, this used to be a grave mistake,” it mentioned. The file is the army’s first respectable account of errors that preceded the 2023 assault — the deadliest in Israeli historical past — and introduced Israel’s next warfare towards Hamas in Gaza that killed greater than 48,000 Palestinians. Israeli army officers mentioned they spent 1000’s of hours taking a look into the army’s intelligence amassing and its reaction. There was confusion and anger amongst Israelis for the reason that assault, a lot of whom felt the reaction time of the army used to be gradual and unorganized, with some sufferers pronouncing they waited hours for infantrymen to reach.
Israeli High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace has now not commented at the army’s investigation and findings. All the way through the warfare, Netanyahu has refused to take duty for the Oct. 7 assault, pronouncing that he’s going to solution questions on it handiest after the warfare ends. The warfare is lately paused as a part of a delicate six-week ceasefire deal that has but to be prolonged. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the screw ups resulting in Oct. 7, and a majority need a much wider inquiry by way of the federal government, in step with fresh polls. Netanyahu has resisted forming a fee of inquiry. The military’s leader of group of workers, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, mentioned he took duty for the military’s screw ups.
“I used to be the commander of the army on October seventh, and I’ve my very own duty. I additionally elevate the burden of your whole duty — that, too, I see as mine,” he mentioned. Halevi is about to step down subsequent week, after pronouncing his resignation in January.
The discharge of this file comes as the primary a part of a three-stage ceasefire ends on Saturday and negotiations are underway for the second one segment. American and Israeli negotiators are in Cairo for the talks. Daniel Estrin contributed to this file from Tel Aviv. Yanal Jabarin contributed from Jerusalem.
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