Israeli army probe finds lapses in handling Al-Aqsa flood attack

Israeli media outlet, Channel 12 reported on the findings of an Israeli military investigation into the army’s handling of the Al-Aqsa Flood attack by Palestinian forces on 7 October, 2023.

The attack, which exposed significant vulnerabilities in Israel’s defence systems, has been described as the largest intelligence failure in the country’s history, with critics blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for not anticipating it.

The investigation committee concluded that "a misconception of security constituted an inadequate response to threats."

It highlighted that the Southern Command dismissed the "Jericho Wall" document, which detailed Hamas's plans for the attack, considering it an implausible scenario.

This document, submitted in May 2022 to military intelligence and Southern Command leadership, had warned of such an operation, but senior officials advised against prioritising it, believing Hamas lacked the capacity to execute it.

Channel 12 revealed that the findings will be presented to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi within two weeks, after which Halevi may take disciplinary actions against certain army commanders.

The investigation also found that Israel's defence strategy had focused on smaller-scale infiltrations of one to three Hamas groups, underestimating the scale of the eventual attack.