IDF Admits ‘Total Breakdown’ in Preventing October 7 Hamas Attack
An internal investigation by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), released on Thursday, has concluded that the military suffered a “complete failure” in stopping the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023 — an attack that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israelis.
A senior military official, speaking to reporters during the briefing, acknowledged that the army had been unable to safeguard Israeli civilians during the unprecedented strike, describing the events of that day as a devastating lapse in security and preparedness.
The investigation details how Israeli civilians, caught off guard by Hamas’s sudden assault, were left asking, “Where was the IDF?” as militants overran communities near the Gaza border. The army’s Gaza Division was quickly overwhelmed as Hamas fighters seized control of key areas and carried out deadly attacks across the region.
According to the report, the military acknowledged that misplaced confidence and flawed assumptions about Hamas’s capabilities left Israel unprepared for the scale, coordination, and brutality of the assault.
The probe — comprising 77 individual investigations into attacks on army bases, border posts, and nearby towns — found that Hamas launched its offensive in three distinct waves. The first wave saw more than 1,000 elite fighters breach the border under intense gunfire, followed by a second wave of roughly 2,000 militants. A third wave, made up of hundreds of additional fighters and thousands of accompanying civilians, soon followed.
In total, an estimated 5,000 Hamas operatives entered Israeli territory. Military officials admitted they had not foreseen an attack of such magnitude or complexity, describing it as a devastating and unexpected blow to Israel’s defenses.
IDF Probe Finds Major Lapses in Response to Hamas’s October 7 Assault
An internal Israeli military investigation, released to reporters, concluded that the IDF failed to protect civilians during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack — an event that ignited the full-scale war in Gaza. Officials acknowledged that “too many civilians died asking, ‘Where was the IDF?’” as the Gaza Division was swiftly overrun by Hamas militants who captured territory and carried out massacres along nearby roads and communities.
The report admits that the military had grown overconfident and severely misjudged Hamas’s strength and readiness in the months leading up to the assault. The investigation encompassed 77 separate inquiries into incidents at military bases, border towns, and combat zones along the Gaza perimeter. Additional probes are still underway, including one examining the attack on a desert music festival.
According to Israeli figures, the Hamas offensive killed 1,218 people — both civilians and soldiers — and led to the capture of dozens of hostages, 58 of whom remain in Gaza. In response, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 48,365 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The investigation focused on several core failures: gaps in intelligence gathering, flawed military assessments in the lead-up to October 7, and deficiencies in the IDF’s immediate reaction once the attack began.
References
- Adams, P. (2025, February 27). Israel’s military publishes first report on 7 October 2023 failures. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvee8vr7l1o
- Ap. (2025, February 27). October 7 attack: Israel’s Army admits it ‘failed to protect’ civilians. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israels-army-admits-failed-to-protect-civilians-on-october-7/article69272114.ece
- https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250227-israeli-army-admits-complete-failure-to-prevent-october-7-attacks. (n.d.). https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250227-israeli-army-admits-complete-failure-to-prevent-october-7-attacks
- https://www.idf.il/en/. (n.d.). https://www.idf.il/en/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-examining https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-examining-siege-plan-hamas-north-gaza-israeli-media-report-2024-09-22/#:~:text=An%20estimated%205%2C000%20Hamas%20militants,that%20it%20was%20being%20examined
- McCready, A., & Uras, U. (2025, February 28). LIVE: Israel, Hamas truce talks resume in Egypt as end of first phase looms. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/27
- Wehmeyer, J. (2025, February 10). What we mean when we call something an intelligence failure - war on the rocks. War on the Rocks. https://warontherocks.com/2025/02/what-we-mean-when-we-call-something-an-intelligence-failure/
