From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
IDF to begin presenting investigations into failures leading up to October 7 next month
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli military says it will begin to present its investigations into its failures in the lead-up to the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre next month.
According to the IDF’s schedule, during the first week of July, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi will be presented with the investigation into the development of the military’s perception of Gaza, with an emphasis on the border, starting from the 2018 Hamas-led Gaza border riots.
This investigation includes the IDF’s intelligence assessments of Hamas from 2018 until the outbreak of the war, and the military’s conception of its own defenses and its operational plans against threats in Gaza.
Additional IDF probes into October 7 will be based on the conclusions of this investigation.
The IDF also plans to present the findings of the investigation to the public once completed and reviewed by Halevi.
Meanwhile, the IDF also plans to present the investigations into the battles between October 7 and 10, when troops restored control over the communities and army bases in southern Israel that had been invaded by Hamas.
There are some 40 battle locations, being investigated by more than 20 commanders.
Each battle investigation or set of investigations will be presented upon completion, and not all simultaneously, as some events on October 7 have proven to be more complex than others to probe.
For example, the IDF probe into the onslaught and battle in the border community of Be’eri, during which tanks shelled a building where Hamas was holding hostages, will be presented in early July, according to the schedule.
The IDF hopes to present all the battle investigations by the end of August.
The probes are aimed at drawing operational conclusions for the military and will not look into the policies of the political leadership, avoiding a fight with government leaders who have insisted that investigations wait until after the end of the war against Hamas.
The investigations, by units seen as having had a role in the failure to notice Hamas preparations or adequately prepare for the terror group’s October 7 onslaught, are being carried out concurrently with ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip. Any major developments in the war are expected to slow the pace of the probes.
The Times of Israel Community.