The three fathers Lior, Eyal and Dror share the same fate: their daughters were killed in the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. They were deployed as scouts for the Israeli army near the border fence with Gaza. Day and night they monitored the border area with cameras and reported suspicious activities. «»
“Great level of negligence”
Now the fathers are making serious allegations on the Israeli television station “Kan 11”. Her daughters had been observing suspicious activity for a long time – but no one had reacted. “My daughter said: We see people who don’t belong here,” says Dror Ashram, father of the killed Shai Ashram. “These people are sitting there with what look like maps. They make sketches.”
Television journalist Moav Vardi spoke to the spies’ bereaved families. He says there was a feeling of superiority over Hamas in the army. This is also why the young women’s warnings were not taken seriously. “I think that a great deal of negligence contributed to October 7th. Because no one wanted to hear the warnings.”
“Failure until you become prime minister”
There are also reports from Egypt that Israel was warned about October 7th. The Israeli government denies this. And according to an investigation by the New York Times, Israel has known about Hamas’ attack plans for over a year. The newspaper was able to view a 40-page document code-named “Jericho Wall,” in which Hamas’ plans were described point by point.
Legend:
Warnings from Israeli army scouts were not taken seriously – with devastating consequences.
SRF archive
But Israeli experts were convinced, according to the New York Times, that this plan would exceed Hamas’ capabilities – a misjudgment. “The failure extends from the brigade commanders to the army chief,” says television journalist Moav Vardi. “But it goes further up to the defense minister and the prime minister.”
Examination yes, but not immediately
In response to a request from SRF, the Israeli army wrote that questions about responsibility should only be investigated once the threat from the terrorist organization Hamas has been eliminated. Prime Minister Netanyahu has also commented in this direction: “We will comprehensively investigate what happened on the southern border with Gaza. Everyone will have to face the questions, including me. But that will happen after the war.”
TV journalist Moav Vardi understands that the factors that led to October 7 cannot be investigated immediately because of the ongoing war. But he also warns: “The Israeli population will not tolerate if it takes longer, for example a year, until the investigation begins.”
October 7th changed everything in Israel. The terrorist organization Hamas is clearly responsible for the bloody massacre. The question of whether the attack could have been prevented if tips had been taken more seriously will continue to concern Israel for a long time.