State Comptroller Report Reveals Systemic Failures in Evacuating Wounded on October 7 Terror Attack

The State Comptroller's report, released on June 30, 2026, by outgoing Comptroller Matanyahu Englman, exposes critical systemic failures in the evacuation of wounded civilians during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. Englman attributes the root cause to the Israel Defense Forces' failure to protect southern communities, which led to the collapse of established evacuation plans and severe delays in transporting injured individuals to hospitals during the crucial hours of the attack.

The report highlights an eight-hour delay in coordinating evacuation points with Magen David Adom (MDA), which only began around 14:30, significantly hindering urgent medical evacuations. Approximately 49% of the wounded had to self-evacuate or rely on local residents and forces, as the military and rescue services failed to provide comprehensive evacuation. The Southern Command commander acknowledged that these improvised evacuations were vital and life-saving.

A major communication failure was identified, as the IDF medical units did not utilize MDA's "Digital Medical Command Center" system, implemented in Gaza Division since 2022, which provides real-time locations of wounded civilians. Additionally, there was a severe shortage of bulletproof ambulances in the Gaza envelope area, with only one available on the morning of October 7, far below the recommended levels since 2016. This shortage prompted MDA to deploy seven additional armored ambulances during the morning hours.

Hospitals such as Soroka and Barzilai absorbed about 70% of the wounded, but the national hospitalization authority convened only at 14:00 despite known early morning overloads, causing many patients to remain hours in southern hospitals before transfer to central Israel. The report criticizes the IDF for not conducting a dedicated investigation into the evacuation failures and notes that MDA has yet to complete a full operational review.

The report also critiques Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for appointing a single minister, MK Moshe Arbel, to oversee both the Health and Interior Ministries during the first five days of the crisis, which complicated management amid the emergency. Arbel later relinquished the Health Ministry to focus on Interior Affairs.

Despite the criticisms, Englman commended the dedicated care provided by hospitals and rescue teams under extreme conditions. The Defense Ministry responded by outlining extensive rehabilitation efforts for wounded soldiers and civilians, including rapid recognition of injuries and expanded medical services. The Health Ministry acknowledged the unprecedented challenges on October 7, emphasizing ongoing improvements in coordination with the IDF and readiness enhancements since the attack.