The Israeli military had no battle plan for a large-scale invasion launched from the Gaza Strip by Hamas on the eve of the October 7 attack, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The newspaper's investigation relied on conversations with dozens of former and current military officers, internal government documents, and the cache of videos filmed by Hamas terrorists and held by the military. Yom Tov Samia, a former head of the military's Southern Command, told the Times. Maj. David Ben Zion meanwhile told the Times that reservists had never been trained to suddenly respond to an invasion. According to the report, one field commander ordered soldiers in an attack helicopter to check reports on Telegram and the news to select targets.

Source: New York Times December 30, 2023 23:57 UTC