(The Age, SMH, 6/3/2025)
It has been quite clear for a long time that the Israel Government needed Hamas to act so they could then do all they have done – Mark
Jerusalem: Israel’s top domestic security agency ignored signs Hamas would attack in October 2023 and was fooled into believing the militant group did not want all-out war, the agency reported in its inquiry into one of the country’s most devastating security failures.
The report by the Israeli Security Agency, known by the Hebrew acronym Shin Bet, was published on Tuesday, five days after the military released the result of an investigation saying it had drastically underestimated Hamas’ capabilities and “failed in its mission to protect Israeli civilians”.
While the agency said it failed to warn of the deadly attack, it also implicitly directed blame at the country’s political leadership.
Whereas the army concluded it underestimated Hamas’ capabilities, the Shin Bet said it had a “deep understanding of the threat”. In veiled criticism of the government, it said its attempts to thwart the threat were not implemented.
Nonetheless, it said it failed to identify the Hamas plan. Among other factors for this failure, it cited a mismanagement of available intelligence and “the backdrop” of the government’s policy of containing Hamas and “maintaining quiet” in the occupied Gaza Strip.
Hamas fighters from Gaza stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
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