What is happening in Israel? : 'Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel's history'

With the attack it launched on the morning of October 7, Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel and infiltrated Jewish settlements on the Gaza border by land, taking a large number of Israelis hostage.

This attack, which took place at a time when the prevailing belief was that Hamas was focused on the economic situation in Gaza and had no intention of entering into a war with Israel, created a shock effect among Israeli politicians and security agencies.

The statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "Hamas has launched a sudden and deadly attack against Israel" were also a "rare admission" coming from the very top of the political pyramid.

'ONCE IN 50 YEARS'

Hamas's attack was also compared to the war launched by Egypt and Syria on October 6, 1973 (Yom Kippur), and it was stated that what Egypt and Syria did 50 years ago was repeated by Hamas. Israeli newspapers featured news and articles revealing the state of shock experienced with the start of the attack, the collapse of intelligence, and the similarities between the attack and the October 6 War.

ISRAEL IS EXPERIENCING A LONG-LASTING SHOCK

The Israeli newspaper Maariv wrote in a report published on October 7 that Hamas had launched a surprise attack on Israel and that this was a major intelligence failure.

Yediot Ahronot newspaper, on the other hand, assessed that Hamas's attack was a failure of the government.

The newspaper emphasized that "the long-standing contempt for imaginary terrorist organizations has turned into a nightmare that is difficult to escape from and a shock that will haunt Israelis for a long time."

''NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED IN ISRAEL'S HISTORY''

Israeli military analyst Avi Benayahu stated in his article in the Maariv newspaper that Israel is in the midst of a surprise war with characteristics it has never known before, with a large number of dead, wounded, and abducted people.

"It has become clear that the idea that Hamas was focusing on the economy was wrong and that the wall Israel built by spending billions of shekels has also collapsed. I have been in front of the television for hours, grinding my teeth and rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Because nothing like this has ever happened in Israel's history before," said Benayahu, noting that a long and difficult period that will fray nerves awaits them.

''CAUGHT OFF GUARD''

Describing the events as a "major failure," David Horovitz wrote in The Times of Israel, "50 years after the Yom Kippur War, today Israel was hit by a surprise attack not by Arab armies, but by Hamas. As Israeli politicians headed to an emergency meeting, criticisms began to appear in the press that 'Israel was once again caught off guard while preoccupied with internal issues'."

INTELLIGENCE FAILURE THAT WILL HAVE POLITICAL REFLECTIONS

Israeli experts also questioned how Hamas managed to carry out the infiltration operation, which involved hundreds of people, without anyone noticing.

Amos Harel, one of the analysts for the Haaretz newspaper, noted that the attack was a major failure that would cause political shocks and continued as follows:

"The situation we are in requires a painful historical comparison. Israel's thinking regarding Gaza has collapsed. There has been a failure in politics, in the deployment of defense forces, and in being prepared for surprises. On Saturday night, Israeli politicians and commanders were sleeping safely in their homes, and forces were not reinforced because there was no early warning."

Stating that military intelligence and the General Staff claimed that "Hamas had learned lessons from previous wars and had no intention of entering a new war," Harel assessed, "While hundreds of Hamas members were preparing for this surprise attack for months without anyone hearing about it, in Israel, there was a debate over whether or not to increase the number of workers allowed to enter the country from Gaza."

''AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS''

Emphasizing that both the military and politics share the blame for this major failure, Harel said, "This matter can only be evaluated in depth when the war is over. The problem is that Israel is entering this war in an environment of an unprecedented crisis. This situation will affect the government's performance in the difficult days ahead."

Stating that Hamas learned lessons from Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and prepared accordingly, Harel noted the following:

"This time, Hamas attacked areas where the army was present. It seems that the state of alert in these areas was low and the number of military forces was small. Similarly, clashes also took place at the Gaza Division Headquarters and several other military bases.

The only problem was not an intelligence failure. It seems the entire system collapsed. This did not happen when Israel fought the Egyptian army or Hezbollah. This time, a smaller group (Hamas) dealt Israel a more painful blow than the 1973 strike."

HAMAS IMITATED HEZBOLLAH, ACTED CUNNINGLY

Yossi Yehoshua stated in his article in Yediot Ahronot that "the Israeli army, one of the most powerful and respected armies in the Middle East and the world, was stunned by Hamas's attack."

Noting that Hamas showed how cunning it was by sending protesters to the border area about two weeks ago, Yehoshua reported that "after the Israeli government allowed Gazan workers to enter Israel, the army thought the situation on the border was under control, while Hamas misled the Israeli army and lulled it into complacency."

Emphasizing that Hamas imitated Hezbollah by infiltrating border settlements, killing and abducting soldiers and civilians, Yehoshua pointed out that the army did not think such a thing could happen and also relied on the high-cost new border barrier.

Yehoshua emphasized that the infiltration of armed individuals into Israel from many points at the same time and the rocket barrage on Israel required planning and time, but more importantly, Hamas displayed an unprecedented example of courage.

Stating that October 7, when the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades launched a large-scale attack on settlements in southern Israel, should show Israeli officials that "building a stronger army is a must," Yehoshua noted that to achieve this, they must stop being preoccupied with less important issues such as the "judicial reform" that has been debated for a long time.

"A SHAME THAT CANNOT BE ERASED"

Former Israeli minister Meir Sheetrit, in his article in the Maariv newspaper, expressed the following regarding "the shame Israel is experiencing":

"This is a failure in terms of politics, operations, and intelligence. How can we explain the enemy crossing the fences with bulldozers and entering in Toyota vehicles, and there being no one to stop them? Where is the Israeli army? Where are the most modern weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, tanks, soldiers? This shame cannot be erased."

Reminding that the attack took place on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, which Egypt launched on October 6, 1973, Sheetrit said, "The failure of 2023 is worse than the failure of the Yom Kippur War. I have difficulty believing this terrible truth that hit us like a slap in the face."

''I AM ASHAMED''

Expressing that it is difficult to believe that a country that possesses spyware called Pegasus, in addition to intelligence systems, could fail in such a matter, Sheetrit made the following assessment:

"As a former minister who served in Israeli governments, as an officer who served in the Israel Defense Forces, I am ashamed that such a dangerous failure has occurred in Israel."

Sheetrit added that immediately after the war ends, an investigative committee must be established to bring all those responsible for this disastrous failure to justice.