Admits His Party Failed About Hamas Attacks And Ensures There Was An Investigation, IDF Chief Of Staff: Now Focus On War

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (second from the left) when meeting his troop commander in Gaza. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - Israel's Chief of Staff Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that there will be an investigation after the war, regarding intelligence news regarding the ignored Hamas attack, saying it is currently unethical to discuss and choose the focus of war.

Most senior officers ignored warnings from subordinates according to a recent report regarding intelligence information forecasting an attack by Hamas on October 7.

"In recent days, there have been discussions about the actions of the IDF and the Directorate of Military Intelligence before the October 7 incident. Given the dire consequences, attention to this is understandable," said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, quoted from The Times of Israel November 29.

"We will answer it. We will listen closely to each of our subordinates, learn what they think and what they say," he explained.

"IDF, including the Directorate of Military Intelligence, failed on October 7," said Lt. Gen. Halevi.

"There will be a sharp and in-depth investigation, but now we have to focus on the struggle," he said.

The IDF itself from the start chose to focus on the war with Hamas, instead of discussing intelligence failures to being indifferent to intelligence reports.

"The IDF commander and personnel in particular the Directorate of Military Intelligence and Southern Command are currently busy at war," said Halevi.

"It's not right that IDF commanders are busy discussing responsibilities with one party, I need them to work together in the face of the many and complex tasks in front of them," he explained.

Lt. Gen. Halevi also said that all IDF commanders he had encountered from the start of the war showed "a sense of great responsibility."

"Currently everything is dedicated to fighting. We will not stop until we restore security in the State of Israel," he added.

Apart from the military, intelligence information regarding possible Hamas attacks has also been submitted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An 11-halam document designed by Israel's 2016 Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned of Hamas' plan to break through the Gaza border, storming southern Israel and taking hostages. The document is said to have many elemental similarities to the October 7 incident.

"Hamas intends to bring conflict into Israeli territory by sending large numbers of trained troops (such as Nukhba commandos, for example) to Israel to try to arrest Israelis (or even a number of residents) on the Gaza border and take hostage," Liberman wrote in the classified document.

"In addition to physical losses to society, this will also cause significant losses to the morale and feelings of Israeli citizens," the document continued.

In an interview, Liberman said the document had been given to then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (current prime minister), in December 2016, warning Hamas would attack "persis as it did on October 7 if its capabilities were not stripped.