The report said the military was unprepared and responded slowly to the attack while fighting was uncoordinated.
The Israeli military has acknowledged that it failed to protect the Kibbutz Be'eri community during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, in its first investigation into its own security failures on the day of the attacks.
More than 100 people were killed in the attack on Be'eri, a community of about 1,000 people, and 32 were taken captive to Gaza, 11 of whom are still detained there.
The military said Thursday the investigation examined the day's chain of events, the fighting and the conduct of security forces.
While acknowledging its own failure to protect civilians on the kibbutz, the military praised the bravery of Be'eri residents, including its rapid response team.
The Israeli military was not prepared for the scenario of a massive infiltration of Hamas fighters into Israel, did not have adequate forces in the area, did not have a clear picture of events until midday, several hours after the attack began, did not adequately alert Be'eri residents and its fighting was not coordinated, the investigation found.
The investigation, however, found no blame for the firing of a tank into a house where fighters were holding about 15 people captive, an incident that has drawn criticism in Israel for putting civilians in danger.
“After gunshots were heard from the house and the terrorists announced their intention to kill themselves and the hostages, the forces decided to storm the house to save the hostages,” the military summary said.
“The team found that civilians inside the house were not injured by tank shells,” the summary says, but argues that further investigation is needed to determine how the hostages inside died, with signs pointing to them being killed by the gunmen.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday called for a state investigation into security failures in the Oct. 7 attack.
He said the inquiry should look into Gallant himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has rejected previous calls to form a state commission of inquiry.
The military presented its report to residents of Be'eri, many of whom are among the tens of thousands of Israelis still displaced since the Oct. 7 attack that precipitated Israel's war on Gaza.
“I didn’t need all these details,” said Miri Gad Mesika, a member of the kibbutz. “What I care about is why what happened happened, how we can prevent it from happening again, how we can get our hostages back and how we can feel safe again.”
