IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir declared last week that Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began in mid-May, had met its objectives.

However, an internal document prepared in the IDF as preparation for the next stage of the conquest of the Gaza Strip and revealed by Channel 12 News on Sunday evening states clearly and unequivocally, “We failed.”

“Israel made every possible mistake when it waged war in a manner in contradiction to its own war doctrine,” the document states, listing some of the mistakes as providing the enemy with resources, mismanaging the operation, exhausting the soldiers, and losing all international support.

The document—written by Brig-Gen (res.) Guy Hazut, the head of the operational information center of the IDF’s ground forces—emphasized that the operation did not achieve its main objectives: Hamas was not defeated, neither militarily nor in terms of governance, and the hostages were not returned—not through a deal nor an operation.

Among the reasons for the failure, the document asserts that Israel acted out of “deterrence logic” rather than pursuing “decisive victory” in order to advance another hostage release deal—a move that Hamas identified and understood how to exploit.

The document also noted that the “clumsiness” in the planning and distribution of humanitarian aid allowed Hamas to lead a false but effective “starvation” campaign, which resonated in the international arena.

The report emphasized that “the systemic logic of the operation failed”—forces returned and operated in the same areas they operated in in the past, and combat was carried out at a slow pace and with no clear deadline, hindering significant achievements and leading to the attrition of forces and equipment. In addition, the troops were poorly prepared for Hamas’s sophisticated guerrilla warfare methods.

It noted that at the same time that the IDF used combat methods in contradiction of its own professional combat doctrine, Hamas fought in a way that precisely aligned with the terror group’s doctrine of warfare. A highlighted passage states: “Hamas had all the conditions necessary to survive in order to win—resources, time, and a suitable method of combat.”

The Forum of Reserve Commanders and Soldiers stated in response to the report, “The document revealed today proves what we have been saying from day one—the current path will not lead to victory. We at the Forum of Reserve Commanders reiterate our warning: first of all, Operation Gideon’s Chariots B must be halted. Lessons must be learned, water and electricity must be cut off, a real siege must be imposed, and only then should IDF forces enter the area.”

“The IDF’s internal documents say this clearly. Military logic says this clearly. Anyone who enters without a real siege sends soldiers to fight against a strengthened enemy, in tunnels, with no chance of a decisive victory. We call on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz: Stop the operation. Impose a real siege. This step alone will open the way to victory and the release of the hostages.”

The IDF stated, “These are materials that were distributed without authorization and the approval of the relevant authorities. The matter is being investigated. The IDF met the goals set within the framework of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and achieved many successes. These days, the IDF is in phase B of the operation and continues to work to achieve the goals of the war.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)