Israeli Military Acknowledges Intelligence Failures in Hamas Attacks

The Israeli military has released the findings of an internal inquiry into the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, revealing significant intelligence failures that allowed the Palestinian militant group to launch a large-scale offensive.

The report, released to journalists, states that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) failed to protect Israeli citizens. The Gaza Division was overrun in the early hours of the war, with terrorists taking control and carrying out massacres in communities and roads.

Hamas's attacks on October 7 resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and the capture of 250 hostages, some of whom remain captive. This led Israel to launch a 15-month war against Hamas in Gaza, resulting in over 46,000 deaths and the displacement of at least a million residents.

Ahead of the report's release, a military official acknowledged that the armed forces failed to anticipate the scale, size, and brutality of the October 7 attacks. "October 7 was a complete failure," the official stated, "the IDF failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians."

The investigation revealed that the attack was launched in three waves, involving over 5,000 people entering Israel from Gaza. The first wave included more than 1,000 Nukhba terrorists who infiltrated under heavy fire.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to expire on Saturday. Talks have yet to begin on a second phase that would ultimately lead to a permanent end to the war.

During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, 33 Israeli hostages were released by Hamas in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Fighting was paused, and Israeli troops withdrew from some positions in Gaza.

On Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed a team of negotiators to travel to Cairo for talks. "We said we are ready to make the framework longer in return to release more hostages. If it is possible, we'll do that," stated Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

Hamas has also sent negotiators to Cairo.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, police reported that at least seven people were injured when a car rammed into a bus stop in northern Israel. Police are treating the incident as a "suspected terror attack." The suspect, a 53-year-old Palestinian from the Jenin area, was in Israel unlawfully and married to an Israeli citizen. Preliminary findings indicate that he deliberately targeted civilians waiting at the bus stop.

Tensions have been high in recent weeks as the Israeli military carries out a major offensive in the northern occupied West Bank, deploying tanks for the first time in 20 years.