An internal investigation shows that if the security service had acted differently, both in the years preceding the attack and on the actual night, the massacre could have been avoided.
Shin Bet's chief Ronen Bar takes responsibility for the failures and says that he will bear the guilt for the rest of his life. But to get to the bottom of how the massacre could occur, a broader investigation is required, he believes.
The investigation that has been conducted shows that Shin Bet did not underestimate Hamas. On the other hand, they did not believe that the threat they had prior knowledge of was feasible, but instead assessed that Hamas was focused on inciting violence on the occupied West Bank.
At the same time, Hamas had secretly undergone a massive military buildup, according to the investigation.
"The warning issued on the night of October 7 was not translated into operational directives, and the response from Shin Bet ... was insufficient to prevent or thwart the large-scale attack," it says.
