IOF admits: we were informed yet underestimated the scale of the event

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
12 Oct 2023 13:50
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The Israeli Occupation Forces have failed to assess intelligence and underestimated the scale of the operation according to their allegations.

Israeli Occupation Forces and a civilian take cover as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, near the Gaza Envelope, Occupied Palestine, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP)

Israeli media outlets quoted Daniel Hagary, the Israeli Occupation Forces spokesperson, who acknowledged that the IOF had received and obtained advance intelligence about a potential operation planned by Hamas but had considerably underestimated its scope.

During a briefing to reporters earlier today, the IOF spokesperson stated that they had gathered intelligence on specific movements, but this information did not rise to the level of being categorized as an intelligence alert.

Hagary stated, "The indicators that surfaced in the hours leading up were various intelligence indicators," confirming that these indicators did not indicate an operation of "this magnitude."

'Israel was humiliated and defeated': The Washington Post

Israeli media reported that “Israel was humiliated and defeated today,” adding that "even if Gaza is destroyed... that will not atone for the most serious security failure since the Yom Kippur war,” he wrote about the 1973 October war.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the al-Qassam Brigades caught the Israeli occupation army by surprise, triggering a state of fear and chaos across the occupied territories.

As reported by The Washington Post, "The scale and scope of Saturday's barrage were unparalleled. Over 3,000 rockets targeted numerous communities in southern Israel, towns in central Israel, the Negev Desert, and even reached as far as Tel Aviv and Al-Quds."

The Post cited Israeli media reports indicating that Palestinian resistance fighters managed to capture 22 Israeli settlements in the south, including some under siege late Saturday evening, referring to a significant turn of events.

"Israel’s border with Gaza is one of the most heavily fortified in the region, walled off with a high-tech barrier fence and guarded by military outposts," according to the Post.

This portrayal indirectly underscores the remarkable display of strength exhibited by the Palestinian resistance. That said, recent footage circulating on social media has depicted the Palestinian resistance's use of a bulldozer to breach a section of fence and gain access to the occupied territory, a move that seemingly occurred "without resistance from Israeli forces."

As reported by The Washington Post, before the recent operation, the October War in 1973 was considered the "largest intelligence failure in Israeli history, as Egyptian and Syrian forces killed thousands of Israeli forces in an Israeli attack." Operation al-Aqsa Flood, however, took the Israeli occupation back down a dark path, leaving Israelis wondering how its army "could have been caught so flat-flooded."

This comes after "Israel" witnessed thousands of settlers demonstrating against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which eroded "Israel's" ability to confront any resistance operations.

“Israel’s enemies were waiting for Israel to weaken itself, and while the top of the army dealt with the internal discord that penetrated the ranks of the army, they dealt with exploiting the situation and preparing for the next war,” according to Israeli media, adding that “The political and military leadership will have to ask themselves how they allowed the internal dispute to weaken Israeli deterrence in a way that made Hamas dare to launch the most murderous attack from the Gaza Strip.”

The Washington Post quoted Uzi Dayan, a former deputy chief of staff in the Israeli occupation army saying that the "assault by Hamas reflected a failure at all levels of Israeli leadership," adding that the Israeli occupation "failed a basic task."

It is worth noting that the current number of dead Israelis has risen to 300 at least, according to Israeli media.