First Israeli report on October 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response

The inquiry highlighted security failures during last year's October 7 attacks by Hamas that left 100 people dead

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 12 July 2024

What happened

The first of what is expected to be dozens of Israeli inquiries into security failures during last year's Oct. 7 attacks found that the Israeli Defense Forces "did not fulfill" its mandate to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri. More than 100 people in the Gaza border community were killed by Hamas militants as part of a larger assault across southern Israel.

The IDF made "severe mistakes and errors" that resulted in troops "waiting outside the kibbutz" for hours while the "massacre continued inside," said the much-anticipated report, published Thursday. While "acknowledging its own failures," Reuters said, the military "hailed the bravery of Be'eri residents" who, "despite being vastly outnumbered, tried to repel the militants."

The report is the "beginning of a long process of repair and rebuilding trust" between the Israeli military and the public, said IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. A broader, independent investigative commission "should be established" to further probe the response to the attacks, he added — a proposal that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "repeatedly rejected," The Washington Post said. But the IDF's internal investigations are "unlikely to go far in assuaging public demands" for accountability.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.