By Nick Beake, BBC News, Jerusalem
EPAIsrael’s defence minister has called for a state inquiry into what led to the Hamas attacks on 7 October, as the military admitted it failed in its duty to protect a small community were 101 people were killed.
Yoav Gallant made his comments after the first in a series of official Israeli military reports laid bare how the army operated in Kibbutz Be’eri, which is near the Gaza perimeter fence.
More residents died at the kibbutz than any other Israeli community on 7 October, after gunmen crossed from Gaza and rampaged through their homes.
Mr Gallant said an independent national inquiry was needed to examine the actions of all those in power, including Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to how Hamas had grown in strength and capability over the past decade.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages in the unprecedented assault last autumn.
It led to the major Israeli military operation in Gaza which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Members of the kibbutz said it was important the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted it had failed to protect them and they too are demanding a national inquiry.
The report, carried out by a senior military officer, commended the bravery of security personal but said the IDF was not prepared for the extensive infiltration by Hamas and “for the first seven hours of combat, the kibbutz residents defended themselves”.
It said: “The inquiry team determined that the IDF failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri.”
Other findings included:
- The IDF “struggled to create a clear and accurate situational assessment” of what was happening in the kibbutz until the afternoon of the attacks, which began at dawn
- There was a “lack of command and control, a lack of co-ordination, and a lack of order among the different forces and units”
- Confusion meant security forces grouped at the entrance to the kibbutz but waited to enter while Hamas were killing people
- That “heroism and supreme courage shown by the fighting forces, commanders, and security personnel” saved many residents
The report also focused on the command given to a tank to shell a house in which 13 hostages were being held.
No personal blame was attributed to Brigadier General Barak Hiram, commander of the 99th Infantry Division who was found to have acted professionally along with other senior officers in “complex and difficult circumstances.”
The report said: “The tank fire towards the area near the house was carried out professionally, with a joint decision made by commanders from all the security organisations after careful consideration and a situational assessment was made, with the intent to apply pressure to the terrorists and save the civilians held hostage inside.”
Brig-Gen Hiram is soon due to take command of the Gaza Division.
The report’s authors concluded that as far as they could assess, no civilians inside the house were harmed by tank-shell fire, except for what they called “an isolated incident outside the building where two civilians were injured by shrapnel”.
It said: “The team determined that most of the hostages were likely murdered by the terrorists, and further inquiries and reviews of additional findings are necessary.”
The IDF’s Chief of the General Staff accepted all the conclusions of the report and ordered they be integrated into future operational plans.
Hamas killed one in 10 of the 1,000 residents of Be’eri on 7 October in a rampage that started after dawn and lasted for hours.
Sharon Sharabi, whose two brothers Yossi and Eli were taken into Gaza as hostages, was briefed earlier on the report and said he had learned nothing new from the official findings.
“There was a command failure here. This is a difficult and bad picture,” he said.
Yossi, 53, has been declared dead [by Israeli authorities] and the fate of Eli, who would now be 52, is unknown.
Mr Sharabi said: “It cannot be beautified in any way. No investigation they may try to do can make it rosy. It’s impossible.”
EPAA statement issued by Kibbutz Be’eri residents said it was of great importance to them that the IDF had asked for their forgiveness for not protecting them from what they called “an unparalleled attack of evil”.
“The failure of the army has been burned into our bodies and in our hearts for nine months,” their statement said.
Residents said they still had not received satisfactory answers to why the army did not enter the kibbutz, nor had any explanation been given yet for the intelligence failure that allowed Hamas to launch their mass assault undetected.
They also called for a national [state] inquiry, which prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been unwilling to initiate.
Thursday’s report is expected to be the first in a series of IDF probes into how the 7 October attacks were dealt with in various parts of southern Israel where Hamas attacked.