Ex-IDF Chief of Staff Eisenkot Reflects on Pre-Oct. 7 Failures

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has reflected on potential shortcomings in Israel's preparedness prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks, despite having left his post five years earlier. Eisenkot stated that he could have done more, specifically pointing to the positioning of army camps and the division headquarters close to the Gaza border fence as a critical issue.

"The event happened five years after I left, and even so, I asked myself what I could have done better?" Eisenkot said. He elaborated that while the camps were built before his tenure, their proximity to the border was a concern. "The division headquarters is 900 meters from the fence, that's a mistake. And I can ask myself if I could have seen that as a mistake, to move it back. My answer is yes."

Regarding special operations during his command, Eisenkot asserted that the number of such operations conducted in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and other Middle Eastern locations during his tenure was unprecedented.

Eisenkot also addressed the military's subordination to the elected government, stating that the IDF must follow its decisions as long as it is a legally elected body, unless given an obviously illegal order. He also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that personal considerations influenced decision-making while Eisenkot was a member of the War Cabinet. "We understood that Netanyahu's considerations were not those of the State of Israel, they were not the considerations of national security," Eisenkot stated, explaining this was a reason he and Benny Gantz left the government.