A $1 billion, high-tech upgrade to the "Iron Wall" around the Gaza Strip in 2021 was made to help protect Israelis from the threat of militant violence. Nevertheless, on Oct. 7 this year, Hamas was able to exploit vulnerabilities in the technology and carry out the worst single assault in the country's history.
A Washington Post analysis has revealed how Hamas fighters were able to neutralize the wall's sensors, long-range cameras, and remote-control weapons and breach the 20-foot high fence that has for years separated Gaza from Israel.
In the video, The Post shows that the fighters set off from Gaza at dawn, and as they made their way to the fence fired a barrage of rockets over it.
According to Israeli officials, more than 3,000 rockets were fired, likely to distract the military, the video explains. Meanwhile, Hamas fighters were able to paraglide over the barrier under the cover of the rockets.
Videos posted after the attack showed that the militants were trained to carry out the paraglider entries.
After the initial barrage, the next phase of the operation was to sever connections that linked Israel's surveillance system. Israel's ability to see the fence was already partially reduced because three of the seven surveillance balloons used to monitor hotspots along the fence were out of service because their out-of-date cameras needed repairs.
The morning of the attacks, the Hamas fighters cut one of the balloons free.
Hamas videos show attacks on at least seven critical surveillance and weapons towers along the fence. The group had for years been collecting data about the more sensitive spots that could be attacked. The information often came from Palestinian day laborers who had permission to work in Israel, the video shows.
Hamas also used drones to attack the towers, as seen in training videos showing fighters learning how to use them to drop explosives. The fighters also used munitions to blow holes in the fence, allowing them passage.
The Post's examination was based on videos and audio recorded on militants' body cameras and footage from Israeli security cameras, as well as witness statements and planning documents recovered from Hamas fighters who were killed during the attack.
The examination included footage showing 14 separate breaches of the barrier, and by comparing the footage with the maps and satellite imagery, reporters were able to show where the intrusions occurred.
Israel says there were about 30 breaches.
Meanwhile, training videos showing militants attacking mocked-up Israeli compounds had been posted on social media for months, and the Post's researchers determined that Hamas had been expanding training camps for several years.
Further, videos posted to social media once the attack began showed that Hamas fighters were trained for months on tactics they would use to breach the fence.
And given Israel didn't believe Hamas could breach the fence, "we didn't see it coming," Charles Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel, told The Post.
The Israel Defense Forces has declined to answer questions about the breaches, saying they would be answered "after the war."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office also declined comment. Netanyahu is under pressure to resign because of the failures in intelligence and security.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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