At 06:30 on October 7, 2023, hundreds of Hamas terrorists broke through the security fence separating Israel from Gaza in a number of locations. At the same time, Hamas also began firing a barrage of missiles that reached as far as Tel Aviv. By midnight Hamas had fired over 3,000 missiles and was still firing. and at least 250 Israelis were dead and nearly 1600 wounded. Scores of civilians and soldiers were taken hostage, brought to underground tunnels in Gaza.
Hamas tractor breaks through Gaza security fence into Israel
The terrorists that broke through the fence into Israel used tractors and then rode through the holes in the fence in pick-up trucks, with machine guns mounted in the beds, vans and other vehicles By midnight
fighting was still going on in communities along the border. 50-60 residents of Kibbutz Be’eri were held hostage in the dining hall with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) trying to negotiate their release.
Also at 06:30 the terrorists attacked the army base of Re’em, along the border, neutralizing the forces there who were to protect the border area, killing some, wounding others and taking soldiers prisoner. They then attacked different Israeli kibbutzim and moshavim, killing and wounding Israelis and taking prisoners. A ‘nature party was taking place just outside of Kibbutz Re’em and the terrorists attacked the partygoers, taking many prisoner leaving others dead or wounded in the fields. It would be many hours before the army showed up to treat the wounded and collect the dead.
According to the Israel Defense Forces website, “The security fence runs for approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) and varies in topography. ..Approximately 70,000 Israelis reside in the area of southern Israel that abuts the Gaza Strip, in approximately 80 residential areas (of which three civilian communities of almost 1,500 residents lie directly across the border from Gaza, and another 22 communities lie within four kilometers in addition to the city of Sderot of approximately 30,000 residents.
The terrorists attacked about a dozen of the 22 communities near the border. The residents shut themselves up in their ‘security rooms’ and waited for help. Members of some of the communities armed themselves and fought with the terrorists. Most of these members were either killed, wounded, or taken captive.
Residents of the communities reportedly called the police, the Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross) and the army for help, but none answered, residents told TV interviewers.
Residents stayed in these shelters even when terrorists set fire to their homes to drive them out. The residents then began calling the Israeli TV stations pleading for them to contact the army or police and send help since terrorists were in their communities, even in their homes.
Gen (Ret.) Israel Ziv tol Channel 13 TV news that the events of the day were a ‘catastrophe.’“The mistakes were made on all fronts, from the army to the home front command, to the government.”
Analysts pointed out that no soldiers were sent immediately to the front lines since there were no buses available to take them. The Minister of Transport, Miri Regev, was out of the country visiting Mexico and no one in her office gave the order to send buses to take the soldiers.
To illustrate how well Hamas had planned these attacks, Hamas chose the holiday of Simchat Torah, that this year fell on Shabbat, to attack. Army bases usually only operated on a skeleton crew over Shabbat and holidays, so there were few soldiers around to mount any sort of resistance.
“The army was taken completely by surprise,” said Carmela Menashe, military reporter for Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet.
Experts filled panels on the TV and gave their assessments. All agreed that there was a failure by the military in not having intelligence about this possible attack. General (ret.) Israel Ziv told TV’s channel 12 said these attacks took months to prepare. Where were the troops to protect the border he was asked by anchorman Danny Kasarov. “Probably in the west bank,” Ziv said.
One analyst pointed out that Finance Minister, and deputy Defense Minister, Bezalel Smotritch was in favor of bolstering Hamas in order to weaken and thus destroy the Palestinian Authority who Smotritch considered the real enemy. “Obviously he was wrong.”
Rocket lands in Sderot
Avraham Rabinovitz, veteran political correspondent for Channel 12 TV blamed the coalition government for the fiasco. “Over the last nine months their priorities were the Judicial Reforms, even when they were warned that the security situation was deteriorating as was Israel’s ability to defend itself.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on TV and said Israel was at war. He assured the public that Hamas would be dealt a harsh blow that would make them regret what they’d done. However, Raviv Drucker, the political correspondent on Channel 13, said, “We’ve heard that before. But where has he been for the last nine months while his government weakened the military?”
Former generals went on TV calling for a full-scale invasion of Gaza, destroying Hamas and occupying Gaza. Gen.(ret) Amir Davidi said Israel has no choice but to retake Gaza. However, first the terrorists must be cleared out of Israel. Then a plan made to get the hostages back. And only then invade Gaza.”
Hamas would like a ceasefire now, said one analyst. They’ve achieved an outstanding success. And from the outset Hamas Leader Mohamed Def has said that this action was meant to bring about the release of all Hamas prisoners held by Israel.
Pundits said that a cease-fire wasn’t going to happen. Channel 13 military correspondent Alon Ben David said that the strategy of giving Hamas what they wanted, money, jobs, whatever, had led to this crises and a new approach was needed.” Other analysts pointed out that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approach of believing money would buy off Hamas had proven faulty.
Rivka Shusterman Dvir, a political analyst specializing on Hamas, told Channel 12 TV news that Hamas now expects Israel to invade. And would be waiting.
So, pundits asked, what was Israel’s plan going to be? How to rescue the hostages and defeat Hamas. And if they defeat Hamas and drive them from power then who takes over?
Ravid Drucker said that invading Gaza wasn’t something done overnight. It needed planning. And then training. “The troops have been in the West Bank (Guarding settlements there) or doing police duties at demonstrations. They have to train. You just don’t go into Gaza without training. That takes time. Two or three weeks, maybe more.”
Experts said that Israel has hard times ahead. The funerals. That would be hard. And those wounded. And those held hostage. Families were still trying to find out which of their sons and daughters were captured by the terrorists and which killed. A special identification unit has been set up in Airport City near Ben Gurion Airport to help with the identifications. Families were requested to bring DNA samples, and photographs.
Another analysts said, “And then there were the nearly 60 people still held hostage in Kibbutz Be’eri. And another four held in an apartment in Ofakim.”
Over 3000 rockets, 250 dead, and the number is expected to rise dramatically, nearly 1600 wounded, some critically, fighting still ongoing in the settlements along the border, hunts on for terrorists who may have gone deeper into Israel. Schools closed. Public events cancelled. Airport shut down.
And more fighting ahead.
Israel has begun to strike back from the air, bombing Gaza. Some military experts say that Israel should grind Gaza into dust, as the air force did in Lebanon in the last war there, a move that has kept Lebanon from starting another fight with Israel, at least until now.
Israel has sent troops to the north to prepare for a possible Hezbollah attack. Unifil (United Nations Forces in Lebanon) have reportedly withdrawn from the border.
Experts say that Israel is most concerned with the Hezbollah terrorist group entering the fight. Hezbollah reportedly has over 100,000 missiles, and a well-trained army. Also, Hezbollah has reportedly dug tunnels from Lebanon into Israel big enough to drive troop carriers through, and bring in as many as 8,000 soldiers into the north to attack Israeli settlements, as Hamas did in the south.
But the script being played out now in Israel was written by Iran, say military analysts. “Seeing Israel weakened,” said one pundit, may give Iran the impetus to order Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, to attack.
US President Joe Biden has said that he supports Israel in whatever they plan to do. Israeli experts see Biden’t speech as a warning to Iran to stay out of the fight. Israel would like to ask the USA to resupply the anti-missile missiles used by the Iron Dome but Channel 13’s military reporter Alon Ben David says the USA doesn’t have any of those rockets left and it takes time to make them.
How did Israel wind up in this situation? Analysts say that only when the smoke has cleared, and the fighting has ended, will there be time to study what happened, and figure out what went so drastically amiss. And who was to blame.