Israel army probe reveals ‘complete failure’ in preventing October 7 attack

The Israeli military probe found that the country had focused its intelligence and military efforts on other fronts, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and relied too heavily "on intelligence, barriers, and defensive measures alone", and was thus caught by surprise in the attack [File: Ammar Awad/Reuters]

The Israeli army has acknowledged its “complete failure” to prevent the October 7 attack by Hamas, admitting that it had, for years, underestimated the Palestinian group’s capabilities.

The summary of an Israeli army investigation, published on Thursday, said it “failed in its mission to protect Israeli civilians”.