Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday slammed the army for not sharing the results of its investigation into the events of 7 October 2023, Anadolu reports.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff, Tzachi Braverman, has sent a letter to the Ministry of Defence demanding that the army’s findings be shared with Netanyahu.
“The investigations were shared with the defence minister, the IDF senior command, and journalists who were briefed,” wrote Braverman, adding “Amazingly, one official has yet to receive the investigations — the prime minister.”
“Proper procedure requires that these investigations also be shared with the prime minister without having to ask for it,” he said.
Hebrew Channel 7 also reported that Netanyahu’s office sharply criticised the army for not sharing the investigation findings with him.
Earlier yesterday, the Israeli occupation army released its findings after months of investigations into the events of 7 October 2023, admitting to a “colossal failure” in anticipating the cross border infiltration by Palestinian resistance groups.
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The report said the military was unprepared for the events of that day, having been caught off guard by the number of Palestinian fighters who breached military bases and settlements near Gaza, according to Israeli Army Radio.
The findings also revealed that the army was surprised by the speed and coordination of the attack, which exceeded all expectations.
Doron Kadosh, the military correspondent for Israeli Army Radio, reported that the army admitted it had not considered the possibility of a large-scale surprise attack like the one on that day.
The investigation confirmed that Hamas fighters completely overran the Israeli army’s Gaza Division for several hours between 6:30 am and 12:30 pm. During this time, the Israeli military had no control over the area near Gaza. It took around ten hours for the army to regain operational control over the region.
According to Army Radio, the findings exposed the army’s reliance on flawed strategic assumptions, including the belief that “Gaza posed a secondary threat that did not require significant military attention and that Hamas was deterred and focused on maintaining calm for economic benefits.”