Netanyahu, Shin Bet clash on Oct. 7 security failures

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) released the results of its probe into the October 7 massacre on Tuesday, highlighting its own failure in the event.  

The failures included not warning the country about an invasion, misunderstanding Hamas’s intentions both before October 7 and the eve of the invasion, failing to adjust to Hamas as a military entity as opposed to a terror group, allowing Hamas to massively army itself, and not seeing the depth of the harm to Israeli deterrence.

Another blind-spot for the Shin Bet was its belief on the eve of October 7 that Hamas might be focused on an attack in the West Bank, partially because Gaza’s rulers had carried out an unusual terror attack in the West Bank on October 5.

Combat soldiers who fought in Kfar Aza during the October 7 massacre criticized the IDF probe into the events on the kibbutz, saying it omitted to mention many forces who fought there that day, according to Channel 12 on Tuesday. 

"In my opinion, the investigation does not properly reflect the full scope of the IDF’s operations in Kfar Aza that day or the soldiers who sacrificed their lives there," Sergeant-Major M. said, according to the report.

"We were there—we fought and saw with our own eyes what happened," M. noted. 

The head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Ronen Bar, failed in the handling of the response to the October 7 massacre, a message attributed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner circle stated on Tuesday.

The statement came following the Shin Bet release of its probe into the massacre on Tuesday.  

The Shin Bet report included accusations that Netanyahu's policies regarding the Temple Mount, Palestinian prisoners’ treatment, and the judicial overhaul were significant motivators for Hamas to invade on the morning of the massacre. 

While taking plenty of responsibility for the October 7 disaster, in its report published suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday, the Shin Bet included accusations that policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the Temple Mount, Palestinian prisoners’ treatment, and the judicial overhaul, were significant additional motivators for Hamas to finally actually initiate its long-planned invasion.

In fact, the Shin Bet never mentions Netanyahu by name, and technically, some of these policies were those of then national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but Netanyahu, as prime minister, allowed many of the policies to continue, despite having the power to stop them.

More specifically, Ben-Gvir vastly expanded the volume of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount compared to prior years, violated some of the rules of what activities could be done on the Mount, publicly called for completely changing the “status quo,” and enforced policies to worsen the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

The IDF probe on Hamas’s invasion of the Netiv HaAsara, in which 14 civilians and three security team members were killed, was issued on Tuesday. No hostages were taken.

According to the probe, Hamas penetrated the village by 6:39 a.m., even faster than in many other border villages. They immediately started killing civilians.

This more rapid penetration was a product of Netiv HaAsara being only 100 meters from Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya at the Gaza border as well as Hamas using hang gliders to fly into the village without having to fast much resistance, though some Israeli security forces did try to fire on them as they passed over.

The IDF probe on Hamas’s invasion of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, as opposed to the IDF base, in which 15 civilians and four more security forces were killed and eight were taken hostage, was issued on Tuesday.

Further, the probe said that three Israelis were mistakenly killed by the IDF, one of which the IDF is certain about, and with the other two, the military said there was a high level of likelihood.

According to the probe, Hamas penetrated the kibbutz in around 30 minutes, around 7:00 a.m, not long after other invaders were already infiltrating the nearby IDF base. A number of invaders used motorcycles to arrive at the base more rapidly and maintain their advantage of surprise.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar hinted he will only resign from his duties at the Israel Security Agency when the remaining hostages are released from the Gaza Strip, according to a Tuesday morning report by N12.

Bar also said he intends to ensure that a state investigation committee into the October 7 attacks is established.

Israel's security cabinet will meet on Sunday at 16:00 in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Post learned on Tuesday.

Arab leaders meet in Cairo on Tuesday with Egypt to present a plan for Gaza that would sideline Hamas and create interim bodies run by Arab, Muslim and Western states in contrast to US President Donald Trump's idea of a "Middle East Riviera".

Who will run Gaza is the big unanswered question in negotiations over the future of the Palestinian enclave shattered by 15 months of Israel's war with Hamas.

The IDF on Monday published its probe into Hamas’s October 7 slaughter of 64 members of the Kfar Aza community, and its taking of 19 hostages, with findings that there was no IDF warning, that the inadequate first IDF defense line was overcome rapidly, and that there was no IDF second defense line until it was too late.