10/6/2024–|Last updated: 10/6/202402:55 PM (Mecca time)
Israeli Channel 12 published excerpts from the results of Israeli investigations into the attack of October 7, 2023, one year after this event, which left a huge sound in the region.
She said that investigations showed that the division commanders presented a disturbing picture of the situation to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy during his visit to the Gaza Division on September 12, 2023.
She added that they talked about increasing chaos along the fence separating the Gaza Strip, as video clips show suspicious trucks approaching the border, and a graph of Hamas training shows a sharp increase in activity.
She said that the Gaza Division Commander, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, expressed his concern about the situation.
However, according to what the newspaper reported, the Chief of Staff said that Hamas had been deterred, but that the forces at the border must prepare for a sudden event.
She added that despite the worrying indicators, the Israeli army took a surprising decision to reduce the forces present on the border with Gaza.
Crossing to settlements
The newspaper reported details related to the events of that day, saying that Hamas fighters created 120 holes in the border fence, through which they penetrated the settlements surrounding Gaza.
She claimed that there were only about 600 Israeli soldiers in front of the thousands of Hamas fighters, most of them in their pajamas.
Despite the worrying indicators, a sudden decision was taken in the Operations Division of the Israeli army to reduce the forces present on the border with Gaza.
She said that three infantry battalions and an armored battalion were supposed to be stationed on the border with Gaza, which extends for 59 kilometers, but the Army Operations Division decided to allow about a third of the forces to go to their homes.
She also said that Gaza Division officials decided to return more than half of the force there to their homes during the Saturday holidays.
It quoted the former head of the army’s Operations Division, Yisrael Ziv, as saying, “If there were two other battalions, the Hamas attack could have been thwarted.”
The newspaper provides details about the first hours of the attack, the slow response and great confusion that struck the Israeli military establishment, and the state of confusion that characterized the handling of the event during its first hours.
She said that this slow response came at a very sensitive time, and every minute is considered very crucial, noting that these mistakes cost many victims.