Amidst the aftermath of a devastating attack by Hamas militants who breached barriers around Gaza, Israel found itself grappling with a grim reality: scores of civilians in Israeli towns had lost their lives, and defense leaders were confronted with mounting questions about how such a catastrophe had unfolded.
The incident occurred just a day after the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, a historical event when Israeli forces were caught off guard by Syrian and Egyptian tank movements. Curiously, it seemed that the Israeli military had once again been caught unprepared for a sudden assault.
Retired General Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, remarked, “It looks quite reminiscent of what occurred back then. From our perspective, Israel was caught completely off guard by a meticulously coordinated attack,” during a press briefing.
An army spokesperson stated that discussions regarding intelligence preparation would occur in due course, but the immediate priority was focused on the ongoing conflict. “We’ll address that when it becomes necessary,” they informed reporters.
Israel had long regarded Hamas as its sworn adversary. However, following a 10-day war in 2021 that inflicted substantial damage on Gaza, Israel had adopted a combination of incentives and deterrence to maintain stability in the besieged region. This approach included offering economic benefits, such as thousands of work permits for Gazans to work in Israel or the occupied West Bank, alongside a stringent blockade and the constant specter of air strikes.
Over the previous 18 months, as violence had erupted across the West Bank, Gaza had remained relatively tranquil, with sporadic cross-border skirmishes primarily involving the smaller Islamic Jihad movement, while Hamas largely stayed on the sidelines.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government had consistently emphasized its security credentials and maintained an unyielding stance towards Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, which had controlled Gaza since 2007.
However, when the moment arrived, Israel’s security apparatus seemed to falter as a considerable force of Hamas fighters, estimated by the military to number in the hundreds, breached security barriers and infiltrated towns.
Jonathan Panikoff, the former U.S. government deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East, who currently works at the Atlantic Council think tank, asserted, “This was unquestionably an intelligence failure. There’s no other way to put it. It was a security lapse that undermined what had been perceived as a robust and successful approach to Gaza by Israel.”
For Israelis, witnessing images of lifeless bodies strewn on the streets or groups of civilians being taken captive in Gaza was profoundly distressing. The toll was staggering, with more than 250 Israelis killed and over 1,500 wounded, marking an unprecedented number of Israeli casualties in a single day. The military also suffered significant losses, and Palestinian militant groups claimed to have captured numerous soldiers.
The militants seized control of security posts, including a police station in the southern town of Sderot, and overran the Erez crossing, a highly secure facility responsible for regulating movement in and out of Gaza through stringent controls.
On Saturday, Hamas media circulated footage showcasing fighters navigating through deserted offices and darting past the imposing concrete walls of the facility.
“They had been planning this for a considerable duration,” observed former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata. “Clearly, this was a meticulously coordinated attack, and regrettably, they managed to surprise us tactically and inflict devastating harm.”
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SOURCE
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israels-security-forces-face-questions-after-hamas-attack-lays-bare-intelligence-2023-10-08/