Internal IDF probe: Battle for Nahal Oz base ‘biggest failure’ of Oct. 7

JNS Staff

A probe by the Israel Defense Forces into the capture of its Nahal Oz military base by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, which was made public on Monday, described the ability to defend the border outpost as “the biggest failure” that day. At the same time, it highlighted the heroism of the soldiers who risked their lives to fend off the attack.

The investigation, which was shared with local media on Monday night, revealed that Nahal Oz, just half a mile from the Gaza border, was supposed to be a forward base but was treated as a rear outpost amid financial constraints. It was overrun in just under two hours.

As the terrorists launched their assault at 6:29 a.m. on Oct. 7, 162 soldiers were stationed at Nahal Oz—only 90 of them armed. Of the 90, 81 were trained as combat soldiers.

The probe noted that Nahal Oz’s perimeter was secured by a single guard, plus three other guards stationed inside the outpost to prevent the theft of weapons, adding that the battle for control was decided within minutes.

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Some 215 terrorists from Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion led the assault, according to the probe. They managed to kill 53 soldiers, in addition to kidnapping three troops and seven female IDF observers.

The IDF fighters deployed to Nahal Oz, working in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, managed to eliminate 71 terrorists during the firefight.

By analyzing hundreds of social-media posts from IDF soldiers at Nahal Oz, Hamas managed to create an accurate map of the base and knew where soldiers slept, as well as the location of shelters, communication equipment, surveillance cameras and the war room.

“The best time to attack the outpost is first light. The recommended day of attack—the weekend and on Jewish holidays when some soldiers are at home on leave,” a seized Hamas file read. “The recommendation: high-trajectory [rocket] fire that will bring the soldiers into shelters.”

The probe highlighted the bravery of Golani company commander Maj. Shilo Har-Even, 25, who despite being seriously wounded led counter-attacks against terrorists at Nahal Oz until he was killed in battle.

Hamas also faced fierce resistance from IDF Warrant Officer Ibrahim Kharuba, 39, a Bedouin soldier who fought to protect the defenseless female observers. During the battle, Kharuba was said to have told the lookouts that it would be an honor to die protecting them and the Jewish state. A devout Muslim, he was killed in a shootout.

Following the probe, Har-Even and Kharuba were both recommended for the Medal of Valor, the Jewish nation’s highest military decoration.

The probe, which concludes that the army failed to prepare for a large-scale ground invasion, in particular under rocket fire, was presented to Defense Minister Israel Katz by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

On Thursday, the IDF presented the findings of its wide-ranging internal probes into the failures leading up to and during the Hamas-led attacks, and the resulting massacre of 1,200 people in Israel’s south on Oct. 7.

“The State of Israel chose a policy of ‘conflict management’ vis-à-vis Hamas, whose purpose is to preserve and improve the existing reality, and from which the military methods of operation were derived,” the IDF charged in the probes, which were geared to draw operational lessons and not take aim at decisions by the political echelons.

In total, 5,500 terrorists infiltrated Israel through 114 breaches in the border, and also used seven vessels and six paragliders, according to the IDF’s findings. The Hamas-led terrorists were said to have breached the security barrier under the cover of at least 3,889 rockets and 57 drones.

The military now understands that the terror organization had gradually prepared plans to “break the defense of the Gaza Division” since 2016. Yet when the Military Intelligence Directorate obtained Hamas’s plans, dubbed “Jericho Wall,” in 2022, they were dismissed as unrealistic.

“The responsibility is mine. I was the commander of the army on Oct. 7, and I also bear the full responsibility for all of you,” stated Halevi, who has taken the blame for the military’s failures and plans to resign in March, in remarks published by the IDF on Thursday evening.