Report: After Oct. 7 probes, IDF now set to launch sweeping inquiry into Gaza, Lebanon, Iran wars

The IDF is launching a broad series of investigations into its ground maneuver during the war against Hamas in Gaza, the Ynet news site reports.

According to the report, the move will be formally launched in the coming days at a senior command conference led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and will examine the ongoing war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. The reviews will focus on the Gaza ground campaign, the ground operation in southern Lebanon and the seizure of two refugee camps in the northern West Bank during the war.

The Gaza debriefings will reportedly be divided into six major operational phases, including the initial push into northern Gaza and Gaza City, the capture of Khan Younis, the Rafah operation and coordination with Egypt along the Philadelphi Corridor, repeated operations in Jabalia, and two late-war operations dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots A” and “Gideon’s Chariots B,” the latter of which was halted amid ceasefire talks and hostage releases.

While based in part on brigade and division-level lessons already drawn from IDF investigations into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack itself, the General Staff probes are expected to focus on strategic questions, including why no plan was prepared for a full conquest of the Gaza Strip, whether beginning the maneuver in the enclave’s north was the correct decision, the impact of the presence of hostages on combat operations, and why several key battles dragged on.

Ynet says the investigations will also examine intelligence failures related to Hamas’s tunnel network and the need for forces to improvise counter-tunnel tactics during fighting, despite years of prior exposure to the threat.

Parallel reviews are said to be planned for the northern front, including the defense against Hezbollah, air and covert ground operations, and preparations for a potential invasion by the group’s elite Radwan Force, as well as for operations in southern Syria.

The IDF has also reportedly completed internal probes into its 12-day June operation against Iran.

According to the report, findings are expected to be presented to bereaved families and the public toward the end of 2026, assuming fighting does not resume on any of Israel’s fronts.