Israel army opens probe into its failures on 7 October

The electronic surveillance unit in the Israeli military intelligence branch, Unit 8200, has started gathering materials and conducting investigations into the sequence of events leading up to Al-Aqsa Flood operation of 7 October.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Major General Herzi Halevi, launched an investigation into the days leading up to 7 October and the performance of the Israeli army on the day of the operation and the days that followed.

The newspaper added that these investigations will be internal and will be supervised by senior officers, focusing on the readiness of the occupation forces for combat, their arrival at the battlefields and their deployment within them.

The Israeli Walla website quoted sources in the occupation army as saying that officers are gathering materials to prepare to answer tough questions. Additionally, officers are clarifying the ‘narrative’ that will be the basis for the media war about the level of responsibility between the people, army and weapons that led to the failures on 7 October.

Halevi caused a storm in the “Israeli political establishment” last month when he announced the formation of an external investigation committee, chaired by former Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Shaul Mofaz. Following severe criticism, Halevi decided to suspend the work of this committee.

Halevi has come under criticism for investigating the army’s conduct at a time of war, with many demanding such probes be carried out only once the war is over.

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