Leaked Israeli army document reveals failure in operation 'Gideon's Chariots'

An internal military investigation into Israel's Gideon’s Chariots operation in May concluded that it had failed to meet its main objectives in the Gaza Strip. 

The classified document, as reported by Israeli media, confirmed that the military did not succeed in its primary goals of defeating Hamas and securing the release of Israeli captives in the besieged enclave.

The major offensive was initially aimed at seizing full control of the Gaza Strip, displacing the entire population to a small area in the south, and providing Palestinians with only enough food to prevent starvation.

Israel's military mobilised tens of thousands of reservists for the plan.

While the operation has been largely praised by senior army officials, the internal investigation concluded that "Israel made every possible mistake".

The leaked document accused the military of working "contrary to its own military doctrine," noting that the main reasons for its failure was a result of attrition, manpower strain, lack of equipment and resources, and inefficient preparation for guerrilla warfare.

It added that the military has repeatedly operated in the same areas at a slow pace, prioritising the reduction of casualties over achieving a high rate of successful missions.

'Clumsy' aid distribution

It added that the army failed to impose time pressure and mismanaged resources, exhausting its own troops while damaging Israel's international image and support. 

The probe added that Hamas benefited from these failures, gaining resources, a secure operational base, and an effective method of fighting.

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The report described the army's direction as relying on "deterrence logic rather than decisive victory," noting that it conducted operations with an eventual truce and prisoner exchange in mind, which, it added, was exploited by Hamas. 

According to the internal assessment, the army's "clumsy" planning and distribution of humanitarian relief only further enabled the Palestinian movement. 

Israel imposed a near total blockade on the entry of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza on 2 March.

It only began allowing food and aid in late May, but almost exclusively through the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 

The investigation said that as a result of the GHF "incompetence" in delivering aid, the Palestinian movement was able to launch a so-called "false but effective" global starvation campaign.

Despite casting doubt on the starvation that has afflicted Gaza's over two million population, famine was officially declared in the blockaded strip on 22 August by the Integrated Food Phase Classification (IPC), the UN-backed global hunger monitor. 

Moreover, the GHF's aid sites have been deemed by human rights groups and activists as "death traps," killing over 2,294 Palestinians since it began distribution.