An ongoing investigation into the Israeli Military Intelligence’s role in the failures that led to the October 7 attacks found that Hamas had been planning the incursion for more than seven years, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Wednesday.
The internal probe is exploring how IDF intelligence missed the warning signs of the impending assault by Palestinian terrorists for so long.
According to leaked information from the investigation, military intelligence was convinced that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was nearing an agreement with Israel to improve economic conditions in Gaza and solidify his control over the region. As reported by Channel 12, analysts had concluded that Hamas “is not seeking and does not have the ability” to go to war with Israel.
Analysts also reportedly disregarded the possibility that the terror group’s decision to sit out the previous round of fighting with Islamic Jihad could signal anything other than a sign it did not want conflict.
Then-commander of the Military Intelligence Directorate Aharon Haliva, who resigned in April after taking responsibility for the IDF’s failures to prevent the attacks, has received the latest probe, though it has not been finalised.
The IDF said in response to the report: “When the investigations are completed they will be presented in a transparent way to the public.”
Last week, the IDF released its probe into the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, the first of its many investigations into the incidents that occurred on the day. Carried out by Maj. Gen. Mickey Edelstein, a former commander of the Gaza Division, the probe found numerous instances of security and IDF failures to warn members of the kibbutz of the impending attack and adequately protect them from terrorists.