Exposed: IDF to release first official investigation findings of October 7 Hamas attack

These investigations cover 41 separate battle scenes and focus on several critical areas, including the IDF's perception of Gaza, the development of intelligence, and the army's response from the initial stages of the attack until Israel regained control of the Gaza envelope.

The investigations, which are part of a broader review of the attack's events, are set to address key themes such as how the IDF's intelligence community assessed the enemy and the use of military forces during the surprise assault. However, the IDF has made it clear that individual officers' actions will not be part of the findings released to the public. This means that while there will be a broad look at the operational challenges and intelligence failures, no personal accountability will be highlighted.

The findings are expected to be presented to Defense Minister Israel Katz by Sunday, with bereaved families and affected Gaza envelope communities receiving their briefings between Sunday and Tuesday. A separate report covering the battle at Nahal Oz Base and the massacre at the Nova Music Festival will be released in early March, first to the families of the victims and then to the wider public.

A key component of the investigations involves the "Walls of Jericho" document, a plan executed by Hamas on October 7th. This document, reportedly known by parts of Israel’s intelligence community prior to the attack, will be examined in detail.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who will be succeeded by Eyal Zamir next month, dedicated over 240 hours to reviewing the investigations and their outcomes. Additional time was spent by other military ranks to ensure a thorough examination of the lessons learned from the attack. This marks a significant effort to understand what happened on October 7th and how to prevent such an event from occurring again.