Archiv: Southern Command (Israel)


30.04.2025 - 15:37 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

23.04.2025 - 10:50 [ Times of Israel ]

‘Out of deep concern for the State of Israel’: Full text of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s affidavit

– I authorized, following a request from the IDF Chief of Staff, the opening of an investigation into the theft of classified military documents and their transfer to media outlets.

– I refused to draft a legal opinion whose aim was effectively to prevent the possibility of the Prime Minister continuing to testify in his trial.

– The draft of the internal Shin Bet review was submitted to the Prime Minister. It refers to the service’s failure to prevent the massacre, while also presenting the long-standing policy of the political leadership regarding the Gaza Strip and the exceptional and repeated warnings delivered by the Shin Bet to the political echelon throughout 2023 – which were ignored.

– A letter was attached to the review, addressed to the Prime Minister, explaining how Hamas’s military buildup occurred before the eyes of the State of Israel, funded by Qatar and enabled by a defensive policy, and highlighting the need for a state commission of inquiry to investigate all aspects of the road that led to October 7.

23.04.2025 - 10:47 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Israels Spionagechef erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen Premierminister Netanjahu

Ferner heißt es in der Erklärung, Bar habe es abgelehnt, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, welche zu Verzögerungen in einem gegen Netanjahu laufenden Korruptionsprozess geführt hätten. Dies sei auch der wahre Grund für seine vom Obersten Gericht gestoppte Entlassung als Geheimdienstchef, ließ Bar verlautbaren. Zudem beschuldigte Bar den Premier, von ihm persönliche Loyalität verlangt zu haben. Es bestand keine Zweifel daran, dass Bar im Falle einer Verfassungskrise Netanjahu und nicht dem Obersten Gerichtshof hätte dienen müssen, heißt es in der Erklärung.

Die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft publizierte das brisante Dokument Bars.

22.04.2025 - 23:37 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israel expects ‚significant crisis‘ in Gaza as it plans to continue total blockade

According to a report on Israeli news site Walla, the Israeli military is not concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has been without any humanitarian aid for the last 51 days after Israel declared its total blockade.

Sources in Israel’s Southern Command, who spoke to Walla, estimated that “in two weeks, a significant crisis will begin in the Gaza Strip regarding food, medical equipment and medicines”.

27.02.2025 - 20:34 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF’s Oct. 7 probes show it misread Hamas for years, left southern Israel utterly vulnerable

The investigation into the decision-making process made by top officials on the eve of the attack found that the IDF identified five signs of unusual Hamas activity the night before the terror group’s October 7 onslaught, but believed they did not indicate an imminent attack.
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This investigation also found that the IDF’s conduct, decision-making, and intelligence assessments on the night between October 6 and 7 were based on the result of years of false assessments about Hamas.

As a result, intelligence officials on all levels failed to provide a warning for what would come.

25.02.2025 - 22:25 [ Times of Israel ]

Leaked IDF probe: Only one soldier was guarding Nahal Oz outpost on Oct. 7, Hamas had studied base layout for years

Hamas had studied Nahal Oz from afar for years prior to launching the deadly assault and was intimately familiar with the layout of the base, including “where every room was,” the report says. It adds that the terror group knew that the base would be operating at a reduced capacity due to the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, which fell on a Saturday that year.
(…)
The probe also reportedly addresses the impact that the incessant rocket fire had on the devastation inside the military outpost, as terrorists were able to easily kill large groups of soldiers who had gathered in bomb shelters.

25.02.2025 - 21:23 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

04.09.2024 - 11:16 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(November 30, 2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

14.02.2024 - 12:58 [ BBC News (World) / Twitter ]

They were Israel‘s eyes on the border – but their Hamas warnings went unheard

(15.01.2024)

14.02.2024 - 12:40 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(30.11.2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

16.01.2024 - 02:00 [ BBC News (World) / Twitter ]

They were Israel‘s eyes on the border – but their Hamas warnings went unheard

06.01.2024 - 23:53 [ i24news.tv ]

Combative security cabinet meeting on post-war Gaza uncovers coalition‘s crisis

Israel‘s War Cabinet gathered overnight on Friday to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after the nation‘s war against Hamas ends. The meeting was reportedly cut off after lawmakers clashed with the defense establishment over the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) investigation of the mistakes leading to the October 7 tragedy that had previously been promised to start after the Israel-Hamas war.

Miri Regev, Minister of Transport and Road Safety, pointed out that the decision over the probe had been made without lawmakers‘ knowledge and argued that the army should be fully focused on the combat in the moment.

06.01.2024 - 23:40 [ OSINTwarAlerts / Twitter ]

Breaking: The IDF has begun investigating the 7.10 incident. Investigation teams have been established, including former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, former head of Military Intelligence Zeevi Farkash, and former Southern Command chief Sami Turgeman.

(05.01.2024)

31.12.2023 - 18:55 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF says troops fired warning shots at UN convoy on Friday due to miscommunication

Citing an investigation into Friday’s incident, the IDF Spokespersons Unit says in a statement to The Times of Israel that after the UN humanitarian convoy finished delivering aid to shelters in northern Gaza, it was asked by the military to go via a different route back south.

“This was to maintain its safety given the fighting that was taking place near the area,” the IDF says.

31.12.2023 - 18:30 [ Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs - Gaza / Twitter ]

#Gaza – Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from Northern Gaza along a route designated by the Israeli Army – our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage – aid workers should never be a target. @UNRWA

(29.12.2023)

28.12.2023 - 12:40 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

(30.11.2023)

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

16.12.2023 - 20:15 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

In Haifa, an Arab-Jewish pro-peace rally calls for a deal to ensure the release of all the hostages. „We want them home. With their families, with all of us. It‘s possible.“

16.12.2023 - 20:03 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

Tel Aviv

16.12.2023 - 19:53 [ Times of Israel ]

Gantz and Eisenkot to meet with families of hostages

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum says that at its request, war cabinet ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot will meet with representatives of the families at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square at 8 p.m.

Gantz is then slated to take part in a joint press conference at 9 p.m. with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

16.12.2023 - 18:45 [ ABC News / Twitter ]

ABC News’ @inesdLC reports from Tel Aviv where a protest broke out after the IDF announced it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during combat in Gaza.

16.12.2023 - 18:30 [ Peacemaker / Twitter ]

A spontaneous protest took place in Tel Aviv tonight after the IDF reported the killing of three hostages in the Gaza Strip who were mistaken for Hamas militants by the Israeli military. Among the main demands of the protesters is the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

16.12.2023 - 18:12 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

The Forum of Hostage Families announced a rally outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv at 7:30 pm– and almost immediately after, PM Netanyahu announced he‘d be holding a press conference at the same place– but inside the building– at 8:30 pm. Please look shocked.

16.12.2023 - 17:59 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

No Israeli government rep has called the families. Let that sink in.

16.12.2023 - 17:46 [ Times of Israel ]

Initial IDF probe: Hostages were shirtless, waving white flag when troops opened fire

Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz managed to escape Hamas captivity before they were mistakenly shot dead by troops on Friday. (…)

Meanwhile, sounds of someone shouting “Help” in Hebrew were heard by troops in the area.

Moments later, the third man came out of the building to which he had fled, and another soldier opened fire at him, killing him.

16.12.2023 - 17:40 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF troops mistakenly open fire and kill 3 hostages in northern Gaza battlefield

Hagari said the IDF bears full responsibility for the “tragic incident,” which took place on Friday morning, “in an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”

Hagari named the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samar Fouad Talalka, who was abducted from Nir Am. The third hostage was later named as Alon Shamriz, also from Kfar Aza.

03.12.2023 - 06:59 [ New York Times ]

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago

The document circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined that an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities, according to documents and officials. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top political leaders saw the document, as well.

(…)

Last year, shortly after the document was obtained, officials in the Israeli military’s Gaza division, which is responsible for defending the border with Gaza, said that Hamas’s intentions were unclear.

“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested,” read a military assessment reviewed by The Times.

03.12.2023 - 06:14 [ Tageschau.de ]

New York Times zitiert Sicherheitspapier: Wusste Israel von Hamas-Angriffsplan?

(01.12.2023 16:29 Uhr)

Laut New York Times war der Bericht weiten Kreisen der israelischen Sicherheitskräfte zugänglich – neben den Angriffsplänen habe er auch geheime Informationen über die israelische Armee und deren Kommunikation enthalten. Wie die Hamas an solch sicherheitsrelevante Informationen kommen konnte, sei unklar.

18.11.2023 - 08:35 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF southern command chief: ‘We see clear Hamas presence in all hospitals’

Palestinian terror group Hamas has a “clear presence” in all Gaza hospitals, said Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the IDF Southern Command, on Friday.

Finkelman carried out an assessment at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, telling troops, “We see the presence of Hamas in all hospitals, it is a clear presence. They make cynical use of the hospitals, like here in the heart of Shifa.”

24.10.2023 - 23:25 [ Times of Israel ]

Egypt intelligence official says Israel ignored repeated warnings of ‘something big’

(9 October 2023)

However, Israel was not only reportedly ignoring clear warnings from its allies.

For Palestinians in Gaza, Israel’s eyes are never very far away. Surveillance drones buzz constantly in the skies. The highly secured border is awash with security cameras and soldiers on guard. Intelligence agencies work sources and cyber capabilities to draw out information.

But Israel’s eyes appeared to have been closed in the lead-up to the surprise onslaught by the Hamas terror group, which broke through Israeli border barriers and sent hundreds of terrorists into Israel to carry out a brazen attack that killed over 700 people and wounded over 2,000.

17.10.2023 - 19:40 [ Amnesty International ]

Massive data leak reveals Israeli NSO Group’s spyware used to target activists, journalists, and political leaders globally

(July 19, 2021)

NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale, according to a major investigation into the leak of 50,000 phone numbers of potential surveillance targets. These include heads of state, activists and journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi’s family.

17.10.2023 - 19:25 [ Krone.at ]

Armeegeheimdienstchef: „Krieg begann mit Versagen“

Er kündigte eine tiefgreifende Untersuchung der Vorfälle an. Dann werde man die Konsequenzen ziehen. „Aber im Moment haben wir nur eine Aufgabe vor Augen – zurückschlagen und im Krieg siegen!“ Er stößt damit ins gleiche Horn wie der Chef des Inlandsgeheimdienstes Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. Der hatte bereits am Montag Verantwortung für den Fehlschlag übernommen und für die Zeit nach dem Krieg eine Untersuchung angekündigt.

17.10.2023 - 19:10 [ ORF.at ]

Israel: Chef von Militärgeheimdienst räumte Versagen ein

Der Chef des israelischen Militärgeheimdienstes, Aharon Chaliva, hat nach dem verheerenden Hamas-Terroranschlag in Israel eine persönliche Verantwortung eingeräumt. (…)

Auch der Chef des Inlandsgeheimdienstes Schin Bet, Ronen Bar, hatte gestern Versäumnisse eingeräumt.

12.10.2023 - 17:46 [ Times of Israel ]

IDF chief Halevi admits military failed to prevent Hamas attack, vows to investigate

Halevi says a time will come to investigate how Hamas managed to carry out the attack.

11.10.2023 - 17:50 [ New York Times ]

How Israel’s Feared Security Services Failed to Stop Hamas’s Attack

Hamas took advantage of that weakness by sending aerial drones to attack the cellular towers that transmitted signals to and from the surveillance system, according to the officials and also drone footage circulated by Hamas on Saturday and analyzed by The New York Times. (…)

The second operational failure was the clustering of leaders from the army’s Gaza division in a single location along the border. Once the base was overrun, most of the senior officers were killed, injured or taken hostage, according to two of the Israeli officials.

11.10.2023 - 16:01 [ Euro-Med Monitor / Twitter ]

We are documenting multiple similar incidents around Gaza. Phosphorus munitions are an indiscriminate incendiary weapon that ignites on contact with oxygen. In closed spaces, the toxic fumes can cause asphyxiation & permanent respiratory damage (2/2)

10.10.2023 - 21:50 [ Wall Street Silver / Twitter ]

This former Gaza Division (she claims) member of the Israeli Defense Forces. She explains just how tightly the border between Gaza and Israel is monitored. In her opinion it would be impossible for Hamas to approach with tractors and hundreds of men. I have no idea if this is true or not. But it is worth asking the questions about how this happened.

(08.10.2023)

10.10.2023 - 21:36 [ @EdanYago / Twitter ]

Factor 1: Israel has built a formidable set of fortifications on the border with Gaza. However, fortifications are useless without people to man them. A political decision was taken to deploy almost the entire combat force to the West Bank. In particular…

…the Gaza division, responsible for safeguarding the Gaza region had been redeployed. This left the border almost unguarded.

10.10.2023 - 21:32 [ @MaajidNawaz / Twitter ]

BBC Security Correspondent @FrankRGardner: “With the combined efforts of Shin Bet, Israeli domestic intelligence, Mossad, its external spy agency & all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, it is FRANKLY ASTOUNDING that nobody saw this coming.”

(08.10.2023)