The female division of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which was responsible for monitoring the border with the Gaza Strip, had reported suspicious activities by Palestinian radical group Hamas, but their warnings were ignored by the command. This information was revealed by Israeli publication Haaretz, citing military personnel.
According to soldiers, it was sexism and ageism (discrimination based on age) that led to the dismissal of the intelligence reports. This concerns the work of the observer groups known as “Tatzpitaniyot.”
“This unit consists solely of young girls and young female commanders. There is no doubt that if men were monitoring these screens, things would have been different,” one of the soldiers told journalists.
The female observers had reported that Hamas militants were learning to overcome barriers, actively using various means of transportation, and had acquired equipment to disable video surveillance along the border.
Military personnel also claimed that the observers had reported daily drone reconnaissance by Hamas, as well as practice attacks on IDF observation posts and the “Merkava” tank. However, the command disregarded all warnings.
On October 7, when Hamas invaded Israeli settlements and subsequently took dozens of hostages, the command allegedly did not even alert the female observers about the attack, making them an easy target for the militants.
Earlier reports revealed that the Israeli army has lost nearly 400 personnel since October 7.
