An investigation conducted by the Israeli Walla website showed that it took the Air Force several hours to realize the scale of the attack launched by the Palestinian resistance led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israeli military sites and settlements in the Gaza Strip on October 7th.
According to what the website published on Thursday, new testimonies from within the Israeli Air Force continue to indicate “serious gaps” in the army that day.
The website quoted pilots that when the missile launches began at 6:28 a.m., two fighter planes took off from Hatzerim Air Base, and as part of a normal procedure, the pilots received an order to fly patrols around the Tamar gas platform, for fear of attacking it with a drone.
According to the testimonies reported by the news site, the pilots conducted air patrols for about an hour, and did not know any details about what was happening on the ground, because the Air Force control center did not inform them of the developments.
The report added that immediately after the two planes landed, the squadron was astonished when it learned the details of what was happening.
Air Force officials said that if they had quickly realized the magnitude of the event taking place in the south, they would have directed fighter planes to fly in the area and cause “ultrasonic” explosions to intimidate and fire with “Vulcan” cannons.
The report quoted unnamed army sources as saying that this was “a complete intelligence surprise for the Air Force. No one reported the unusual event to the Air Force. The entire force woke up to a nightmare, and it took some time to absorb the magnitude of the event.”
After the initial information arrived from the field, what was revealed about the “plight of the Gaza Division” and repeated calls for assistance, two combat helicopters were launched from the Ramat David base (southeast of Haifa), but they took time to reach the division’s command position.
The report quoted army officials – whom it did not name – that even after the air force arrived, “it took some time to understand the full picture: who are the Israeli soldiers and who is the enemy, what is happening in the settlements, what is allowed and what is prohibited, who can be shot and from whom.” Not possible”.
Military officials added that “once approvals were obtained, the ammunition, missiles and Vulcan cannons quickly ran out.”
They continued, “When you travel far, from Ramat David to the Gaza Division, and you need enough fuel, you carry less ammunition than usual.”
Source : Israeli press + Anatolia Agency
