Israeli military insiders blame for handling of intelligence documents

Officials from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country's military Unit 8200 have been arguing over responsibility for handling an intelligence document revealing Hamas' intentions to attack Israel.

The document, submitted by Unit 8200 on September 19, 2023, stated that Hamas' elite forces had organized simulated exercises to attack military posts, kidnap soldiers and civilians, and hold hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Senior IDF officials meet on June 2

ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES

The Jerusalem Post quoted informed sources in the IDF on June 18 as saying that the document from Unit 8200 did not draw a clear conclusion, nor did the unit forward the report to the highest-ranking IDF officials.

Instead, the document was discovered by an intelligence officer in Israel's Gaza Division on October 1, 2023. This person recognized the importance of the document, but did not report it to senior commanders, but instead informed lower-level officials.

This has led to confusion and disagreement over whether Unit 8200 or IDF intelligence officials were responsible for the mishandling of the document. Israeli broadcaster Kan on June 18 quoted security sources as saying that senior intelligence officials knew about the document, at least in the Gaza Division intelligence community. This contradicts previous statements by intelligence officials that they had no knowledge of the information.

A day earlier, Kan Radio also revealed that the IDF knew about Hamas' intentions several weeks before the October 7, 2023 attack. Intelligence officials knew the information but did not take countermeasures, leading to Hamas' attack on Israel.

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The IDF spokesman said the handling of the documents was part of an ongoing investigation into Israel's security flaws that directly led to Tel Aviv's passivity in the face of Hamas' attacks.

In the Gaza Strip on June 19, Reuters reported that Israeli tanks and warplanes continued to attack and penetrate deep into the city of Rafah, killing at least 8 people and forcing many families to evacuate.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-bo-quan-doi-israel-do-loi-ve-cach-xu-ly-tai-lieu-tinh-bao-185240619210844315.htm