Israeli army concludes Hamas defeated it on 7 October

An internal Israeli army investigation has concluded that Hamas tricked Israel for years and swiftly overran and defeated an entire Israeli military division on 7 October 2023.

Released on Thursday, the probe found that the Israeli military "failed" to protect Israeli civilians and was not prepared for the Hamas-led attack, during which around 1,180 people, including 379 security forces, were killed and 251 taken as captives. 

The command-and-control of the so-called "Gaza Division" of Israel's Southern Command collapsed within hours of the attack, launched by the Palestinian movement's armed wing at 6.29am.

Top Israeli officers, including the division’s Southern Brigade commander Asaf Hamami and many company and platoon commanders, were killed by Hamas fighters by 7am.

According to reports citing Israeli security sources, only 767 soldiers were stationed at the boundary with Gaza on the day. Around 5,000 Hamas fighters entered the area by land, air and sea in different waves of the attack.

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