They created spyware like Pegasus, are home to the Iron Dome, and have top class intelligence. But Israel didn’t see the Hamas attack coming. What went wrong?
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00:00Israel is known for having one of the world's best intelligences and a top-class military.
00:06But in 2023, it was caught unaware in one of the deadliest attacks on its soil since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
00:15But before we understand why exactly Israel was caught off guard,
00:18it's important to know why it's so surprising that it was.
00:22Israel has three intelligence agencies.
00:25Shin Bet, the country's internal security organisation.
00:29They look for signs for sabotage, terror activities within the country, and political security threats.
00:35Amman, Israel's military intelligence.
00:38It's one of the best technical intelligence agencies in the world.
00:42Mossad, this is pretty much Israel's spy agency.
00:47They dabble in covert operations, foreign espionage,
00:51and is likely the second largest intelligence organisation in the world after the US's CIA.
00:57Let's imagine your country attacked by 3,500 rockets.
01:03Your territory is infiltrated by death squads.
01:06What would you do?
01:08What would you demand that your government do to protect you and your family?
01:13Now, Mossad, which was established in 1949, has a bit of a reputation as well.
01:19In 1972, during the Munich Olympics,
01:22there was an attack on the Israeli athletes by the Palestinian group Black September.
01:27A botched rescue operation by the German police resulted in the death of all the Israeli athletes.
01:33All we are thinking of is how to get the hell out of here.
01:36So, what did Israel do?
01:38Over the next seven years, Mossad targeted and killed every person directly or indirectly
01:44involved with the Munich massacre in an operation which they called Wrath of God.
01:49Israel was also the brains behind surveillance softwares like Pegasus,
01:53a spyware which could infiltrate a mobile phone
01:56and get the phone numbers, call logs, search history, social media activity,
02:01passwords, messages, and cameras without the user ever finding out about it.
02:12Israel also has its crown jewel of air defence systems, the Iron Dome.
02:18This Iron Dome is meant to shoot down missiles,
02:21rockets, or any other projectiles coming towards the country.
02:35So, how was Hamas able to carry out such a large-scale,
02:39multi-pronged attack on Israel on October 7, 2023?
02:44Intelligence officials in Israel, the US, and other places believe that Hamas went
02:48low-tech to avoid detection. They probably broke into small groups and communicated individually,
02:54Beth Sanner, a former American intelligence official, told Bloomberg.
02:58Middle East policy expert Andrew Exum believed that Israel had an excellent air force and special
03:03operation units, but its conventional troops were mostly conscripts, who weren't very well-trained.
03:09So, while in a state-versus-state conflict with its neighbours,
03:13Israel's military might have an advantage, Exum said that it was probably not the case
03:18when facing non-state, well-disciplined forces like Hamas or Hezbollah.
03:23A report by Reuters also pointed towards a long-term ploy,
03:27where Hamas essentially convinced Israel that they weren't interested in fighting,
03:31and instead, they wanted Gaza residents to be able to cross the border for work.
03:36After the Hamas attack in 2023, Israel formally declared war,
03:41and announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip.