Israeli army launches probe into failures leading up to Oct 7 Hamas attack

JERUSALEM -- Israel's military said on Thursday it launched an internal investigation into the failures that led up to Hamas's attack on Oct 7, 2023, which caught Israel off guard and resulted in the deaths and kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis.

The attack "began with a surprise that resulted in a difficult outcome and a significant loss of civilian and soldier lives," the military's Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi wrote in a letter to commanders. He acknowledged that the security forces failed in the mission to protect human lives.

The investigation would review the defensive capabilities at the onset of the attack and the events preceding it. This includes the lack of intelligence on the large-scale attack and the absence of preparedness on the eve of the attack.

Thousands of Hamas-led militants raided Israeli border communities on Oct 7, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, marking the highest tally in a single day since Israel's statehood in 1948. A total of 253 individuals were taken hostage.