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7 October Hamas attack: Israeli army admits ‘complete failure’ in security

Internal investigation reveals how the Hamas attack took the Israeli army, which believed it had contained the threat, by surprise

The devastating Hamas attack launched on 7 October 2023 against southern Israel was described as a ‘complete failure’ of Israeli security in a recent internal investigation conducted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The investigation concluded that ‘the IDF failed in its mission to protect people,’ considering it one of the most serious failures in Israeli military history.

The IDF Southern Command conducted an in-depth analysis that lasted tens of thousands of hours, revealing that some 5,600 terrorists crossed the Israeli border in three waves, an operation that exposed significant gaps in the country’s security.

Underestimation of Hamas and insufficient preparation

Before the attack, the Israeli army believed that Hamas did not pose a significant threat and was not interested in a large-scale conflict. Moreover, Hamas’s network of underground tunnels was believed to be severely compromised and it was thought that the high-tech fence along the border would foil any cross-border threats.

No one in the Israeli security apparatus, however, had foreseen the scale of the 7 October attack. The forces stationed at the border were minimised and mainly focused on the threat from Iran and Hezbollah, who, according to the investigation, were aware of Hamas’ plans but did not know when the attack would be launched.

Assumption of Responsibility by the Chief of Staff

Following the release of the results of the investigation, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, General Herzi Halevi, assumed full responsibility for the security failure. In a video statement, Halevi said: ‘I was the commander of the army on 7 October and I take full responsibility before you’.

The investigation highlights how, although Hamas control over the Gaza Strip was viewed with concern, there was no initiative to develop a concrete alternative to Hamas rule, and the threat was seen as secondary to that posed by other regional actors.

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