Israel's intelligence services caught off guard by Hamas attack
Israel's intelligence services were caught off guard by a major attack launched by the Hamas militant group on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and wounding hundreds more, according to Israeli officials.
The attack, which included rocket fire and infiltrations by militants into Israeli territory, came as a surprise to many, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"In the past few days, all the heads of intelligence in the government said that there are no problems in Gaza and there will be no problems," said Herman Berkovits, a doctor and friend of Netanyahu. "This was a big surprise."
Berkovits said that Hamas militants had infiltrated kibbutzim and other Israeli settlements, killing children, women, and men. He also said that the rockets fired by Hamas had landed in Palestinian villages and in Jerusalem, where there is a large Arab population.
"It doesn't matter whose head it falls on," Berkovits said. "It could be an Arab, a Jew, or a Christian."
The attack has raised questions about the effectiveness of Israel's intelligence services.
"For Israel, this is a major failure," said Frank Gardner, a security correspondent for the BBC. "This country has the most extensive and sophisticated intelligence network in the Middle East."
Gardner said that it is likely that Israel will respond to the attack with a major military operation. However, he said that the attack will also raise questions about the government's ability to protect its citizens.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
