IDF Review Outlines Chain of Failures on October 7 as Leadership Prepares Corrective Steps
The Israel Defense Forces released the Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir’s assessment of the review team’s findings on Sunday, presenting a detailed accounting of the failures that allowed Hamas to breach the Gaza border on October 7, 2023, and outlining the steps now required to prevent a similar collapse. The document describes the attack as a national calamity rooted in systemic breakdowns that left soldiers and civilians exposed when armed groups stormed communities and IDF positions at the start of the Simchat Torah holiday.
According to the report, the assault at 6:29 a.m. shattered longstanding assumptions about border security and revealed critical weaknesses in operational concepts, intelligence collection, early-warning systems, and defensive infrastructure. Forces caught off-guard fought under extreme conditions, with many service members attempting to repel attackers despite being isolated or outnumbered. Civilians and small emergency squads also took part in efforts to slow the infiltration, actions the review notes as examples of individual heroism.
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The assessment emphasizes that the initial 24 hours represented an unprecedented failure of the IDF’s core mission to protect the country. At the same time, it notes that the two years of intensive fighting that followed have demonstrated substantial operational achievements across multiple fronts. Those gains, however, do not negate the obligation to confront the shortcomings that made the attack possible.
The report outlines how the internal inquiry process began during the war. In March 2024, then–chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi directed broad investigations into major operational questions as well as dozens of specific battle events. The findings from those early inquiries formed the foundation for a more comprehensive review.
When the current chief of staff assumed command in March 2025, he convened an expert team to evaluate the quality of the earlier investigations and identify lessons requiring IDF-wide implementation. Led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, the committee completed its work and submitted a final document that includes its analysis of how the attack unfolded and what systemic factors contributed to the breach.
With the report delivered, the army’s senior leadership is preparing to turn its conclusions into concrete changes in doctrine, command structures, preparedness standards, and defensive capabilities. The chief of staff said the work ahead involves closing operational gaps and ensuring that Israel does not face a repeat of the failures that marked the morning of October 7.
