An internal probe into Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack acknowledged the Israeli military's "complete failure" to prevent the assault, which killed hundreds of Israelis, a military official said.
"October 7 was a complete failure, the IDF (military) failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding: "Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the IDF."
The investigation also found that the attack happened in three waves and at its height, more than 5,000 people entered Israel from Gaza.
"The first wave... included more than 1,000 Nukhba terrorists who infiltrated under the cover of heavy fire," a summary of the inquiry provided by the army said.
It added that a second wave included 2,000 militants and third wave was characterised by the arrival of hundreds of militants, along with several thousand civilians.
"In total, approximately 5,000 terrorists infiltrated Israeli territory during the attack," the report said.
The Israeli military's findings highlight deep intelligence "failures" that allowed Palestinian militants to carry out a large-scale attack on Israel.
"The Israel Defense Forces failed to protect Israeli citizens.
"The Gaza Division was overrun in the early hours of the war, as terrorists took control and carried out massacres in the communities and roads in the area," the military said in the summary of the report released to journalists.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after its 7 October attack, the deadliest in the country's history.
The attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to a tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliation in Gaza killed more than 48,000 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures that the United Nations deems credible.
