The article discusses the Israeli military's failure to predict the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, despite prior intelligence warning signs. Senior IDF officials had misjudged rising threats, ignoring previous intelligence documents suggesting Hamas's military plans dating back to 2016. Years of dismissive assessments regarding Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's ambitions culminated in a disastrous lack of preparedness. The article highlights how deep-rooted misconceptions and failures in understanding Hamas's strategic intentions contributed significantly to the IDF's inability to foresee the attack, resulting in substantial loss of life.
As early as 2018 and again in 2022, Israeli intelligence had obtained documents that suggested Hamas was planning a massive military operation.
Ultimately, Israeli military leaders concluded there was no immediate danger and failed to foresee the massive assault that was launched just three hours later.
The Israeli military's catastrophic failure long predated Oct. 7, according to a new, months-long inquiry by the Israel Defense Forces into the worst attack Israel has suffered in decades.
None of this was known to Israeli officials, who for years failed to grasp Sinwar's intentions, downplayed the scale of his military ambitions.
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