Unveiling the Intelligence Gaps: A Critical Examination of Intelligence Failure in the 7 October Hamas Attack

Introduction

On 7 October 2023, shortly before 6:29 am, Hamas launched a surprise attack, bombing Israeli observation towers and weapons systems on the border, using drones. Thereafter, approximately 2,200 rockets and other projectiles were fired into Israel. This was followed by the insertion of Hamas fighters using aerial means and from ground and  routes. The fighters used hang gliders and motorized paragliders to fly over the billion-dollar barrier equipped with sensors, built by Israel, to prevent infiltration inside the country. A majority of the fighters used the ground route, approaching the barrier using tunnels and coming out on the surface close to the wall, thereby ensuring operational surprise. Thereafter, the fighters assaulted the barrier using explosives to create breaches at multiple locations. Bulldozers were used to widen the gaps, allowing more terrorists to infiltrate into Israel using vehicles, motorcycles, and other forms of transport. On reaching the Israeli side, the fighters destroyed the cameras and other security installations using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and fanned out to their designated targets.