Over the past years, the “eyes of Israel” have remained completely open and never sleeping, directed towards neighboring Gaza, with surveillance marches constantly buzzing from the sky, and the highly secured borders crowded with security cameras and soldiers guarding them, in addition to cybersecurity offices that work diligently to extract information and leaks. from Gaza.
But according to a report by the Associated Press, “Israel’s eyes” were closed during the unprecedented attack launched by the armed Hamas movement a few days ago, when it destroyed the Israeli border barriers and sent hundreds of gunmen to Israel to carry out a shocking attack that led to the deaths of hundreds.
Israeli intelligence
Israeli intelligence agencies have gained an “aura” over the decades, due to a series of achievements. Israel foiled plots in the West Bank, pursued Hamas activists in neighboring countries, and was accused of killing Iranian nuclear scientists in the heart of Iran. Even when their efforts faltered, agencies such as Mossad, Shin Bet, and Military Intelligence maintained their mystique and prestige.
But the weekend attack, which caught Israel by surprise on a major Jewish holiday, casts doubt on that reputation and raises questions about the country’s preparedness in the face of an enemy that lacks advanced military capabilities but is extremely determined.
Members of Hamas who participated in storming the border with Israel
Members of Hamas who participated in storming the border with Israel
Big failure
“This is a huge failure,” said Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added, “This operation actually proves that the (Israeli intelligence) capabilities in Gaza were not good.”
Amidror refused to provide an explanation for the failure, saying that lessons must be learned when the dust settles.
Admiral Daniel Hagary, the chief military spokesman, acknowledged that the military owed the people an explanation. But he said now is not the right time. “First, we fight, then we investigate,” he said.
Some say it is too early to blame it solely on an intelligence error. They point to a wave of low-level violence in the West Bank that has led to the transfer of some military resources there and the political chaos engulfing Israel due to steps taken by Netanyahu’s far-right government to reform the judiciary. The controversial plan threatened the cohesion of the country’s powerful military.
But the main reason for this most powerful attack on Israel in years is the clear lack of prior information about Hamas’ plan.
Despite Israel’s intelligence capabilities, Hamas managed to keep its plan secret. The ferocious attack, which likely took months of careful planning and training and included coordination between multiple armed groups, appears to have occurred “under” the radar of Israeli intelligence.
Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general, said that without a foothold inside Gaza, Israeli security services have become increasingly dependent on technological means to obtain intelligence. He said militants in Gaza found ways to evade technological intelligence gathering, giving Israel an incomplete picture of their plans.
Israeli media: Hamas exposed Israel’s weaknesses
‘Major event’ warning
According to the Associated Press, an Egyptian intelligence official said that Egypt, which often acts as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has repeatedly spoken with the Israelis about “something big,” without going into details.
The Egyptian official added that Israeli officials focused on the West Bank and downplayed the threat coming from Gaza.
The official, who did not reveal his identity, noted: “We warned them that an explosion was coming to the situation, and it would be very close and large, but they underestimated these warnings.”
Great dispersion
“They’ve been planning this for a long time,” former Israeli national security adviser Eyal Holata told Reuters. “This is clearly a very coordinated attack, and unfortunately they were able to tactically surprise us and cause devastating damage.”
For his part, Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow for counterterrorism and national security at the Council on Foreign Relations, said: “No national intelligence agency is omniscient or error-free, but what happened was a colossal, astonishing failure.”
He explained that in recent months, a large part of the focus of the Israeli army forces has been in the West Bank, where young Palestinians have launched their own initiatives against the Israeli occupation.
“The West Bank was consuming their attention,” said Hoffman, who has studied Israeli-Palestinian relations for the past 40 years.
Israeli officials have also been preoccupied with tensions around Al-Aqsa Mosque, after Israeli police carried out raids in April.
“There were a lot of assets and resources focused on monitoring events in Jerusalem,” Hoffman said.
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2023-10-09 13:29:14
