In a damning exposé aired on Saturday, Channel 12 unveiled critical failures within Israel’s Military Intelligence, shedding light on neglected protocols that could have averted Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack.
The report revealed that after Operation Protective Edge, the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 8200 developed a sophisticated alert system. However it lay dormant, despite clear warning signs of impending danger.
Former senior officials disclosed that the system, designed to triangulate terrorist activities based on signal intelligence, was once a beacon of defense readiness. "We had a model in place to anticipate Hamas’s movements," one source lamented. However, under Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel's leadership, the once-vigilant system reportedly faltered, with crucial alerts either ignored or mishandled.
By April 2022, the elite Unit 8200 had meticulously detailed Hamas’s elaborate invasion plans, codenamed Jericho Wall, presenting a comprehensive dossier to higher authorities well in advance. Shockingly, the warnings went unheeded, with operational lapses blamed on managerial negligence and overconfidence within the Military Intelligence Directorate.
Critics pointed to a culture of complacency under Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, who had touted unprecedented intelligence capabilities months before the catastrophic breach. "They claimed the situation was under control," one former intelligence officer recalled incredulously, as subsequent events proved otherwise.
The fallout has been profound. Amidst calls for accountability, Brig. Gen. Sariel has resisted calls for resignation, dismissing critics and defending his tenure. The IDF, meanwhile, acknowledged the intelligence failure as investigations continue, vowing transparency in addressing systemic shortcomings.