On 7 October, the aura of Israel’s widely-respected intelligence system was shattered when Hamas terrorists launched a savage attack that resulted in the mass slaughter of Israeli civilians.
The Gazan group tore down border fences using bulldozers, bombed security posts, and infiltrated Israeli military bases and civilian residences.
The monumental security and intelligence lapse, which is the biggest Israeli military disaster in 50 years, has left Israelis enraged at the government and military.
So, how did Israel’s security and intelligence fail so badly?
Reports of Israeli Intelligence Lapse
According to reports, a day before the attacks, Israeli security chiefs met to discuss intelligence received about irregular Hamas activities on the Gaza border.
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While the chiefs discussed deploying troops to the border, they later decided not to go ahead and dismissed the intelligence, saying that more clarity was required.
Furthermore, according to The New York Times, Israeli intelligence detected a surge in Hamas activity but ignored it. The report notes that the attack was not only a result of intelligence failure but also multiple logistical and operational failures.
Reasons of Failure
Israeli officials also told the Times that there were four key reasons why security failed to prevent a Hamas invasion.
- There was failure to monitor key communications channels in Gaza.
- Israeli forces were over-reliant on border equipment, which was easily shut down by the terrorists.
- On the day of the attack, there was a clustering of commanders in a single border base that was overrun by the terrorists. The overcrowding also prevented wider communications with the army.
- There was also a willingness within the military to accept Hamas’ narrative that they were not preparing for battle.
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Why Did Israel Ignore the Warnings?
However, it is not clear why the Israeli military chose to ignore the intelligence regarding unusual Hamas activity and instead adopted a posture with multiple loopholes.
One possible explanation is that rising violence in the West Bank could have diverted attention and resources from Gaza.
Regardless, a senior Israeli security official said that the military owes the Israeli public an explanation of why it failed so badly.
Political Upheaval in Israel
Moreover, Israel was in the midst of a political upheaval when Hamas chose to launch the attack.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms had not only led to widespread protests for months but also threats by military officers and reservists to stop serving in the military.
This internal division could be one of the reasons why Hamas chose to attack Israel when it did.
Additionally, emerging reports indicate that, seven days before the attack, the Netanyahu government willfully ignored Egyptian intelligence warnings that Hamas was planning something big.
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This revelation is striking because, if it proves to be true, the Netanyahu government’s rejection of Egyptian intel is eerily similar to then-PM Golda Meir ignoring Jordanian warnings in 1973 that Egypt and Syria were planning a major offensive.
That decision to ignore vital intel led to the 1973 war, and this same mistake could underlie Israel’s greatest security disaster since that war.
Netanyahu Losing Support?
In the face of all possible reasons for this Israeli security lapse, the Netanyahu government is rapidly losing public support.
According to a poll, 86% of Israelis blame the government for the failure and over 50% believe Netanyahu should resign.
Israeli media have also largely blamed Netanyahu for this colossal failure and demanded his resignation.
The current mood in Israel is mostly in favour of a decisive military response in Gaza, but once the war is over, there could be a huge backlash against the government, including calls for a significant reform of the military.