The American newspaper "The New York Times" revealed in its investigation into the "failures" that occurred on October 7th that the Israeli army "did not have a plan" to deal with Hamas's sudden attack. The investigation was conducted through interviews with current and former officials. The newspaper concluded that "the Israeli army did not have a plan to deal with Hamas's massive attack." It quoted former deputy commander of the Gaza division in the Israeli army, Amir Avivi, stating: "There was no defensive plan for a surprise attack."
On the other hand, former national security advisor Jacob Amidror mentioned that "the army does not prepare itself for things it believes are impossible." The American newspaper clarified that the army "failed for long hours to understand the magnitude of the attack and to protect the lives of Israelis, and its response was slow and ineffective, sending very small and ill-equipped teams to deal with a mass attack."
The investigation found that "the army was suffering from a shortage of personnel and poor organization, to the extent that soldiers communicated in groups on WhatsApp and Telegram, and relied on social media posts to target the attackers." In response to the newspaper's questions, the Israeli army stated that it "is currently focused on eliminating the threat posed by the terrorist organization Hamas. Such questions will be addressed at a later stage."
Previously, "The New York Times" reported that "Israel believed prior to the October 7th attack that the most serious threats it faced were Iran and Hezbollah," pointing out "the underestimation of Hamas's capabilities to lead an attack." On October 7th, Hamas launched a surprise attack in the Gaza envelope, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and thousands injured, along with the abduction of 240 hostages, according to official Israeli figures. Since that day, Israel has been conducting a strong air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip with the aim of "eliminating Hamas," leading to the deaths of more than 21,000 people, the majority of whom are children and women.
