Israel-Palestine conflict: Hamas attack raises questions for Israel's security forces

Israel-Palestine conflict: Israel was shocked by a deadly attack carried out by Hamas militants who managed to breach the barriers around Gaza. They moved freely and killed many civilians in Israeli towns. This has raised serious questions for defense chiefs about how such a disaster could occur.

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The attack happened just a day after the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the '1973 Yom Kippur War.'

In that war, Israeli forces were caught off guard when Syrian and Egyptian tank columns unexpectedly attacked. It seems that history repeated itself, with the military once again caught by surprise in a sudden attack.

"It's strikingly reminiscent of what occurred back then," remarked retired General Giora Eiland, who previously led Israel's National Security Council. He expressed that Israel appeared to have been taken completely by surprise by a highly organized attack, speaking during a briefing with reporters.

An army spokesperson indicated that discussions regarding intelligence preparations would take place at a later time, emphasizing that the current priority was the ongoing combat situation. "We'll address that when it becomes necessary," the spokesperson stated during a briefing with reporters.

Israel has long considered Hamas its sworn enemy. However, following a 10-day conflict in 2021 that caused substantial damage to Gaza, Israel pursued a strategy blending both rewards and threats to uphold stability in the besieged region.

This approach involved providing economic incentives, such as granting thousands of work permits for Gazans to work in either Israel or the occupied West Bank. Simultaneously, Israel retained a strict blockade and the persistent possibility of air strikes as deterrent measures.

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Over the 18 months, while violence escalated in the West Bank, Gaza had remained comparatively calm. The exceptions were occasional border skirmishes, primarily involving the smaller Islamic Jihad group, as Hamas mostly refrained from active involvement.

The right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently emphasized its strong security stance and maintained an unyielding position towards Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007.

Israel security forces intelligence failure

However, when the critical moment arrived, Israel's security apparatus seemed to falter as a significant contingent of Hamas gunmen, estimated to be in the hundreds according to the military, managed to breach security barriers and disperse into towns.

Jonathan Panikoff, the former U.S. government deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East, now associated with the Atlantic Council think tank, emphasized, "This was unquestionably an intelligence failure."

He added, "It represents a security breakdown, undermining what was previously seen as a robust and effective layered strategy towards Gaza by Israel."

For Israelis, the sight of lifeless bodies on the streets and groups of civilians being taken captive in Gaza was profoundly distressing. The toll was heavy, with more than 250 Israelis losing their lives and over 1,500 sustaining injuries—an unprecedented level of Israeli casualties in a single day. The military also suffered significant losses, and Palestinian militant groups claimed to have captured numerous soldiers.

The gunmen seized control of security posts, including a police station in the southern town of Sderot, and overran the Erez crossing, a highly secure facility regulating the movement of people in and out of Gaza through stringent controls.

On Saturday, Hamas media circulated footage depicting fighters navigating through deserted offices and sprinting past the facility's imposing concrete walls.

"They had been meticulously planning this for an extended period," noted former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata. "Undoubtedly, this was a highly coordinated attack, and regrettably, they managed to take us by surprise tactically, causing devastating consequences."

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