The Shin Bet largely blames the attacks on the government’s policy of maintaining “quiet” in Gaza – given the lack of any rocket launches or other activity by fighting factions in Gaza for more than a year – as well as what it describes as the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in order to build up its ranks.
The Shin Bet further pointed to “disturbances on the Temple Mount, the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, and the perception that Israeli society had weakened due to the erosion of social cohesion [in the wake of the judicial overhaul]” as factors that led to the attacks.
While the Shin Bet itself said it had long criticised the “arrangement-based reality” that Hamas was deterred and therefore quiet in Gaza, it failed to identify the group’s plan to attack Israel despite possessing relevant information about its growing strength.
The investigation also revealed that the division of responsibility between the Shin Bet and the Israeli military “was not suited to the situation on the ground”.
The acknowledgment came days after an “internal investigation” revealed that, despite possessing intelligence on Hamas’ plans, indicators had not been perceived as immediate threats.
The probe carried out by the Israeli military criticized the regime’s overconfidence in intelligence assessments and its underestimation of Hamas’ capabilities, mistakes which contributed to the devastating outcome for the regime.
After launching the strike, Hamas retained the hundreds-strong Zionists in captivity, conditioning their release on the freedom of numerous Palestinian prisoners, thousands of whom have returned home so far in exchange for a handful of the captives.
Besides failing to confront the resistance fighters storming the occupied Palestinian territories during the operation, the regime signally failed to realize its intended goal of “eliminating” Hamas during a subsequent war of genocide it launched against the Gaza Strip, despite its killing more than 48,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, throughout the brutal military onslaught.
The recent revelations have, meanwhile, set off growing calls within the Israeli regime for a comprehensive inquiry to examine the failures of both security agencies and political officials in preventing the operation.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to commit to such an investigation, leading to increased scrutiny and demands for accountability.
