The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted to a “complete failure” in their response to the Hamas attack, according to an internal investigation released Thursday.
“The IDF failed to fulfill its mission to protect Israeli civilians,” a military spokesman told AFP.
The report revealed that the Gaza Division was overwhelmed in the first hours of the war, with terrorists taking control and carrying out massacres in local communities and on the roads.
The defense acknowledged being “overconfident” and having erroneous perceptions about Hamas’ military capabilities before the attack, a senior military official said at the same briefing.