Israeli army lacked plan to counter Oct 7 Hamas offensive: report

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) The Israeli army was “undermanned” and “out of position” during the October 7 attack by Hamas, a media report said.

Israeli army was so poorly organised that soldiers communicated in impromptu WhatsApp groups and relied on social media posts for targeting information, The New York Times reported.

“Commandos rushed into battle armed only for brief combat. Helicopter pilots were ordered to look to news reports and Telegram channels to choose targets,” the report said.

The news report has also interviewed the current and former military personnel and the investigation also found that Israeli forces had no response plan or training for a significant attack by Hamas.

“The soldiers that day made it up as they went along,” the report said.

The report also said that the Israeli army did not respond to questions of the newspaper regarding its findings other than to say that it was focused on defeating Hamas.