The Israeli newspaper Maariv addressed the failure of the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) and the Israeli military intelligence to understand the Arab and Islamic mindset and culture, which led to their inability to interpret potential signals prior to the October 7 attack.
The newspaper stated that Israeli security and military agencies failed to recognize the true name of the attack, “Promise of the Hereafter”, which is inspired by a verse from Surah Al-Isra in the Quran. Instead, they misinterpreted it entirely, calling it “Walls of Jericho.”
The report pointed out that the name chosen by Hamas was directly tied to the interpretation of the Surah, which hinted at the plan for the attack. However, military intelligence mistakenly translated the name as “Walls of Jericho”, leading to the dismissal of the warning.
Expert Afer Grozberd spoke to the newspaper about “cultural blindness,” referring to the inability of individuals from one culture to understand another culture due to different ways of thinking. He highlighted that intelligence often relies heavily on logical analysis but overlooks emotional and psychological factors, leading to misjudgments.
Grozberd stressed that “relying entirely on rational logic to analyze the enemy’s plans, without considering the psychological and emotional aspects, contributed to the intelligence failure in preventing catastrophes like the October 7 attack and other similar events.”
The newspaper criticized both military intelligence and Shin Bet for their lack of expertise in understanding Islam and Arab culture. It stated that “had there been a deeper understanding of the language and culture, intelligence would have connected the name of the plan to the interpretation of the Quranic verse, which would have helped predict Hamas’ intentions.”
An investigation by the Israeli military admitted the total failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, attack on Gaza border settlements and revealed new details about the assault.
The investigation concluded that the attack was carried out in three waves, with nearly 5,000 elite Hamas fighters participating. The first wave included over a thousand members of Hamas’ elite unit, who crossed the border under heavy fire. The second wave involved 2,000 fighters, while the third wave included hundreds of militants accompanied by thousands of civilians.
