You will hear a lot of people say Israel suffered one of the worst intelligence failures in it’s history on Oct 7th, when Hamas terrorists breached the wall around Gaza, and emerged to murder 1200 Israeli’s and take more than 240 others hostage.
But, the intelligence failure actually wasn’t a failure at all in the sense that the senior levels of Israeli Army command were well warned a Hamas attack was in the offing, and the real failure is one of not acting on the available information, and that especially includes allegations Military Chief Aharon Haliva, and what he did and didn’t know.
Israeli press now report that a female army officer only identified as “V” warned senior intelligence officers about an invasion that would take place and that her details were stunningly specific and accurate.
Haliva is accused of ignoring V’s analysis, and that “for many this rang a familiar bell: they didn’t listen to V, as they disdained female observers” wrote YNET News.
Haliva has apparently denied the V warning having reached him, as did the entire top of the intelligence Directorate including Sa’ar the research division, and the 8200-Unit Command which is Israel’s version of America’s NSA.
The Israeli investigative committee will take months sorting all this, but there are already denials from top officials that they hid warnings of an impending attack.
One Israeli press report included an excerpt of V’s warning stating “It involves a realistic scenario and golden information in preparation of a Hamas takeover operation in the south and a beheading”.
Again reports suggest a higher ranking officer dismissed her warning as a “imaginary and non-realistic scenario”.
What’s clear is the fact Hamas training in Gaza was witnessed by the IDF, but misinterpreted as a show of force rather than a preparation for an attack. What a huge miscalculation and misread by all.
The responsibility for the massive miscalculation, will fall on all of Israel’s intelligence agencies, but especially Aman which is independent of ground, navy and air forces, headed by Major General Haliva.
Certainly the Israeli Mossad and Shin Bet will also be under scrutiny for having missed clear and present danger signs of the impending Hamas attack, and the investigation will include political oversight and failures all the way up to and including the office of the Prime Minister, Netanyahu.
The warning from officer V, was not just one report, but a series of emails which will be part of the evidence of failures brought before the Israeli public.
It may also be that Israeli leaders, wished away a Gaza threat, brushing off obvious signs of lurking dangers because they chose to believe Hamas was contained.
P.M. Netanayhu has never sought long term peace with Palestinians, but rather has used Hamas to divide the Palestinian Authority, believing Hamas was content to lead Gaza and manage it’s tiny economy.
Now as long term solutions are being sought by many to the Gaza problem, Netanyahu’s vision of Hamas is dated and proven to be painfully dangerous, all paid for with Israeli lives and kidnapped loved ones.