Hamas Struck Wrong Army Base In October 7 Attack After Navigation Error: Report

NDTV

6 days ago

Tel Aviv:
Hamas terrorists who infiltrated southern Israel during the October 7, 2023 massacre intended to capture a sensitive military intelligence base but made a critical navigation error that led them to attack the wrong target, according to an Israel Defense Forces investigation published Friday.
The probe revealed that 10 Hamas infiltrators on five motorcycles were attempting to reach an intelligence facility located 16 kilometres from the Gaza border when they made a wrong turn at Urim Junction. Instead, they attacked an adjacent Home Front Command base, where eight Israeli soldiers were ultimately killed and several others wounded during a three-hour battle.
"As a result, the terrorists carried out a killing spree inside the base until they were eliminated by IDF troops," the investigation stated. The probe concluded that while the defensive actions of soldiers and commanders ultimately foiled Hamas's original plans, "the base's defensive array was not properly prepared to handle such a broad infiltration and attack scenario."
The Urim Base complex houses three separate units: the Home Front Command's Southern District headquarters, the 414th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, and Unit 8200 of the Military Intelligence Directorate, known as Yarkon Base. Unit 8200 functions primarily as Israel's signals intelligence (SIGINT) and cyber intelligence division. Hamas had specifically targeted the intelligence facility, but the terrorists' navigational mistake redirected their assault to the Home Front Command installation.
The attack began at 7:26 am when the terrorists detonated an explosive device on the base's eastern fence and breached the perimeter. At the time, only seven soldiers were on guard duty, though protocols called for 12, as it was a holiday weekend with minimal staffing.
Two female soldiers who were conducting a shift change immediately took shelter following rocket alerts and remained hidden until the fighting concluded in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the terrorists quickly began their deadly assault, first killing Corporals Lior Levy and Ofir Davidian as they ran toward the command center, followed by Sergeant Itamar Ayash at the armory.
The terrorists then methodically advanced toward the command center. At 8:02 am, the attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the command center building, hitting a conference room window. They subsequently breached multiple steel doors protecting the facility's nerve center, killing Sergeant Major Aharon Farash, Captain Alina Pravosudova, Sergeant Shir Shlomo, and Sergeant Danit Cohen during intense close-quarters combat.
The terrorists spent approximately 10 minutes searching the command center for classified information before departing, unaware they were in the wrong facility entirely.
Reinforcements from the neighboring 414th Unit began arriving at 8:15 am, splitting into three teams to engage the attackers. The battle continued for over two hours, with additional forces from elite Unit 5515 and Tzeelim Training Base joining the fight.
The last two terrorists were eliminated at 10:40 am while hiding in a bomb shelter near the district commander's office, ending the prolonged engagement.
Colonel Asher Benishti, who conducted the year-and-a-half investigation, noted that the probe examined every available source of information, including footage taken by the terrorists themselves, soldiers' text messages, surveillance videos, and radio communications.
Friday's report is the latest in a series of detailed army probes -- summaries of which have been released in recent weeks -- of how some 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad managed to attack numerous Israeli communities and overrun the army's border positions. The army's chain of command broke amid the chaos and soldiers were outnumbered.
The investigations found that the army misunderstood Hamas's intentions for years, and as October 7 approached, intelligence about the looming attack was misinterpreted. The military was also more focused on threats from Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The IDF probes only deal with issues of operations, intelligence and command, not decisions made by the political echelon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls for an inquiry, saying he opposes a "politically biased" probe. Critics accuse Netanyahu of delaying the inquiry and trying to water down its mandate.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.