Israel's top security agency admits failures in October 7 Hamas attack

5/3/2025 6:13

Israel's top 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 own inquiry into one of Israel's most devastating security failures.



The Shin Bet's report 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".



Hamas fighters from Gaza stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.



More than 48,000 people have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza since then, according to Palestinian health officials, with the small enclave largely demolished and most of its 2.3 million people displaced, humanitarian agencies say. Around 400 Israeli soldiers have also been killed.



A fragile ceasefire has held in Gaza since January 19.