A classified IDF document circulated within the military has concluded that Operation “Gideon’s Chariotsâ€� — the army’s name for the major offensive that was launched against Hamas in May and ended last month, failed to meet its core objectives, a report said Sunday.
The document, partially published by Channel 12 news, plainly asserts that the operation did not succeed in either of its goals to topple Hamas or free the hostages. It was distributed last week by the Operational Information Center of the IDF’s ground forces and has already been seen by several brigades, according to the network.
Officers who reviewed the document reportedly expressed worry that the document augurs badly for the IDF’s planned push into Gaza City in October, and doubted whether the army had drawn the necessary lessons ahead of the planned offensive.
While IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior officers have publicly praised the Gideon’s Chariots operation, the internal assessment bluntly states that “Israel made every possible mistakeâ€� in waging the campaign, according to the report.
It accuses the army of acting “contrary to its own military doctrine� by supplying the enemy with resources through humanitarian aid, failing to impose time pressure, mismanaging resources, and ultimately exhausting its own forces while eroding international support.
According to the document, Hamas meanwhile enjoys all the conditions necessary to survive and claim success, including resources, secure territory and a suitable method of fighting.
It cites Israel’s reliance on “deterrence logic rather than decisive victoryâ€� by seeking to continue fighting with the aim of an eventual ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, something that the terror group managed to exploit during these past few months.
The document further criticizes “incompetenceâ€� in planning and distributing aid, which it says enabled the terror group to successfully mount a global campaign accusing Israel of intentionally starving Gaza’s population.
According to the report, the IDF has maneuvered repeatedly in the same areas at a slow pace and prioritized avoiding casualties over mission success. It also cites attrition, manpower strain, equipment fatigue, and poor preparation for guerrilla warfare as key reasons for failure.
At the same time, the report notes that many within the military credit the operation with lowering Hamas’s demands in hostage negotiations, with the added pressure reportedly increasing the number of captives the group is willing to release in a deal.
Responding to the report, the IDF denied the claims set out in the document, insisting that the army met the operation’s set goals and is continuing to work to achieve the war’s overarching goals.
The military added that the leaked document was “distributed without permission or clearance from the relevant authorities. The issue is being probed.”