Israeli army chief admits failure to prevent Hamas’ 7 October attack

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has admitted that the Israeli army failed in its mission to protect settlers and military sites during the 7 October 2023 cross-border assault launched by Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades from the Gaza Strip.

In a message marking the second anniversary of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” according to the Hebrew calendar, Zamir said the army “failed to protect the state and its citizens,” according to the Israeli news website Walla.

“Correcting this comes from within, from within us,” Zamir said. “We cannot change what happened, but we can grow, as individuals and as an army, and take responsibility and learn from the past.”

He added that the Israeli army “is investigating and will continue to investigate the events of that day and the entire war — honestly, transparently, and professionally.”

The 7 October attack by Hamas targeted military bases and Israeli settlements surrounding Gaza, resulting in the capture of more than 250 Israelis, most of them soldiers and officers in the Gaza Division, according to Hamas. The group said the assault came in response to Israel’s “decades-long crimes against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Zamir’s admission marks one of the clearest acknowledgements of institutional failure since the start of the war, as multiple Israeli security, political, and military officials have described the events of 7 October as a collapse of intelligence, preparedness, and coordination among the army, Shin Bet, and Military Intelligence.

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