JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – On October 7th, 2023, Hamas succeeded in surprising one of the world’s strongest armies and renowned intelligence agencies. A new book examines how the invasion caught Israel and much of the world off-guard.
With more than 1,200 people murdered and more than 250 kidnapped, October 7th marked the worst day in Israel’s history since the Holocaust.
In the book, While Israel Slept, former Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz reconstructts the warning signs Israel missed prior to the attack and assumptions that would prove to be fatal – a military intelligence system that failed to read the enemy’s intent while overestimating its own deterrence.
Katz details the complacency, mistaken analysis, and containment policy that allowed Hamas to prepare an assault Israel assumed would never happen.
He reveals the inside story of drama happening the night before on the front lines, as well as the failure that paved the way to disaster.
Katz also looks forward with recommendations on what must change, from southern border defense to civil readiness, so Israel is never surprised again.
He adds, “Accountbility matters, but so does fixing the system now. Deterrence isn’t a plan. Preparedness is.”
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