IDF report said to find Israel made ‘every possible mistake’ in recent Gaza offensive

A classified IDF document circulated within the military has concluded that Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” — the army’s name for the major offensive that was launched against Hamas in May and ended last month — failed to meet its core objectives, a report said Sunday.

The document, partially published by Channel 12 news, firmly asserts that the operation did not succeed in either of its goals — to topple Hamas and free the hostages. The material was distributed last week by the Operational Information Center of the IDF’s ground forces and has already been seen by several brigades, according to the network.

Officers who reviewed the document reportedly expressed worry that it augurs badly for the IDF’s imminent push into Gaza City, and doubted whether the army had drawn the necessary lessons ahead of the fresh offensive, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots II.”

While IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior officers have publicly praised the Gideon’s Chariots operation, the internal assessment bluntly states that “Israel made every possible mistake” in waging the campaign, according to the report.

It accuses the army of acting “contrary to its own military doctrine” by supplying the enemy with resources through humanitarian aid, failing to impose time pressure, mismanaging resources, and ultimately exhausting its own forces while eroding international support.

According to the document, Hamas, meanwhile, enjoyed all the conditions necessary to survive and claim success, including resources, a secure operational base, and a suitable method of fighting.

It cites Israel’s reliance on “deterrence logic rather than decisive victory” by seeking to continue fighting with the aim of an eventual ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, something that the terror group managed to exploit during these past few months.

The document further criticizes “incompetence” in planning and distributing aid, which it says enabled the terror group to successfully mount a global campaign accusing Israel of intentionally starving Gaza’s population.

According to the report, the IDF has maneuvered repeatedly in the same areas at a slow pace, and prioritized avoiding casualties over mission success. It also cites attrition, manpower strain, equipment fatigue, and poor preparation for guerrilla warfare as key reasons for failure.

At the same time, Channel 12 noted that many within the military credit the operation with lowering Hamas’s demands in hostage negotiations, with the added pressure reportedly increasing the number of captives the group was willing to release in a deal. Hamas last month said it had agreed to a proposal for a phased hostage-ceasefire deal broadly similar to a framework previously backed by Israel. However, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not responded and is instead demanding a “comprehensive deal” in which all hostages would be released at once and the war ended according to terms set by Israel, including the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza, and its handover to non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority Arab forces.

Responding to the report, the IDF denied the claims set out in the document, insisting that the army had met the operation’s set goals and is continuing to work to achieve the war’s overarching goals.

The military added that the leaked document was “distributed without permission or clearance from the relevant authorities. The issue is being probed.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.