The Israeli army has released its findings after months of investigations into October 7, 2023, admitting to a "colossal failure" in anticipating the "Al-Aqsa Flood Operation" launched by the Palestinian resistance group.

The investigation report said on Thursday the military was unprepared for the attack, having been caught off guard by the number of Palestinian fighters who breached military bases and settlements near besieged Gaza, according to Israeli Army Radio.

The findings also revealed that the army was surprised by the speed and coordination of the attack, which exceeded all expectations.

Doron Kadosh, the military correspondent for Israeli Army Radio, reported that the army admitted it had not considered the possibility of a large-scale surprise attack like the one on October 7.

Kadosh wrote on his X that a threat of such an attack was never taken seriously or even considered, which left the army unprepared to counter it.

The investigation findings confirmed that Hamas members completely overran the Israeli army's Gaza Division for several hours, specifically between 6:30 am and 12:30 pm.

During this time, the Israeli military had no control over the area near Gaza. It took around 10 hours for the army to regain operational control over the region, which Hamas had effectively seized.

Flawed strategic assumptions

According to Army Radio, the findings exposed the army's reliance on flawed strategic assumptions, including the belief that "Gaza posed a secondary threat that did not require significant military attention and that Hamas was deterred and focused on maintaining calm for economic benefits."

The investigation further concluded that the army allowed "a severe security threat to develop along its borders by over-relying on the defensive barrier while significantly weakening border defence forces, including a shortage of troops in areas near Gaza."

Additionally, the findings pointed to a sense of "arrogance" within the army and "overconfidence" in its intelligence superiority, with a firm belief that any potential Palestinian attack would be preceded by an intelligence warning.

However, the lack of such a warning caused a major shock to military leadership and contributed to the chaos of the attack's initial hours.

Several Israeli political, military, and security officials have previously admitted to personal responsibility for the failure to prevent the October 7.

As a result, some officials resigned, most notably Aharon Haliva, chief of the army's Military Intelligence Directorate.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday criticised the Israeli army for not sending him the findings of the investigations.

According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu's office sent a letter to the Ministry of Defence demanding an explanation for why the army had not submitted its investigation findings on October 7.

However, Netanyahu has so far refused to take any responsibility for the attack or to establish an official investigation committee into the events of that day.

Israeli carnage

Israel has killed over 48,365 Palestinians, mostly women and children, so far in its carnage in besieged Gaza, which has come to a pause after a ceasefire was reached on January 19.

Tel Aviv caused a major shortage of basic necessities, including food, water, medicine and electricity, while displacing almost the entire population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.