Israeli Channel 12 has revealed excerpts from an internal military document acknowledging the failure of the "Gideon’s Chariots" operation in Gaza. The report states that "Israel" committed "every possible mistake" and conducted the war in ways that contradicted its own military doctrine.

The booklet, circulated by the Operational Learning Center of the Israeli Ground Forces to units set to operate in Gaza, offers a blunt assessment of the campaign launched in mid-May 2025. It concludes that the operation failed to achieve its primary objectives, namely that Hamas was not defeated militarily or politically, and Israeli captives were not recovered, whether through negotiations or military action.

According to the document, the campaign suffered from strategic disarray, an overemphasis on deterrence instead of decisive victory, and fragmented execution. The report criticizes the army for prioritizing cost calculations over mission success and highlights a "low operational culture and absence of strategic decision-making."

This approach led to a prolonged war of attrition that depleted Israeli forces and undermined their international standing. The report further emphasizes that the pace of force-building within the Israeli army lagged significantly behind Hamas’ rapid recovery and rearmament. Ground operations were also ineffective in neutralizing the persistent rocket threat.

Hamas’ resilience and Israeli setbacks

The internal assessment acknowledged Hamas’ ability to sustain its operations due to efficient use of available resources, external support, geographical depth, and guerrilla warfare tactics. It noted that "Israel" struggled to adapt to asymmetric warfare, often prioritizing the preservation of lives over achieving tactical and strategic objectives.

Planning and execution deficiencies were also flagged, especially regarding the handling of humanitarian aid. The document criticizes the military's approach to the aid file, stating that it enabled Hamas to sustain a "false but effective starvation campaign."

Contradictions with official Israeli narrative

Channel 12 political analyst Amit Segal emphasized the stark contrast between this internal evaluation and recent public statements made by IOF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who recently asserted that "Gideon’s Chariots" had met its objectives.

The report has already been shared with several brigades and is expected to reach additional units. Some officers familiar with the document have expressed skepticism about whether its findings will influence future planning.

Veterans’ groups and reservists warned that continuing the same approach into the upcoming phase, dubbed "Gideon’s Chariots B" and set for Gaza City, risks repeating past mistakes. They described this as "the folly of doing the same thing while expecting different results."

Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military has not yet issued an official response to the findings outlined in the document. As preparations continue for the next phase of operations in Gaza, the lack of strategic overhaul raises concerns among both military personnel and observers that "Israel" may be poised to repeat its earlier failures.