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Hostage release of Israel’s female spotters a reminder of October 7 blunders

‘We were sure the commanders were listening to us and doing something with our information,’ said one spotter. ‘I realise that they didn’t do anything with it.’

In the weeks before the deadly Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel’s predominantly young and female corps of spotters monitoring the Gaza border sent a series of reports to their superiors documenting potential threats.

Spotters at the Nahal Oz base witnessed Hamas fighters training with drones, practicing attacks on Israeli tanks, and coordinating vehicle convoys, and passed on what they saw. 

“We were sure (the commanders) were listening to us and doing something with our information,” Amit Yerushalmi, a spotter at the base, later testified to a civil commission: “In light of the outcome, I realise that they didn’t do anything with it.”

On October 7, Hamas forces took out the remote-controlled machine guns and cameras on the border and poured through the fence. Nahal Oz was swiftly overwhelmed, with backup slow to arrive. Fifteen spotters were killed and seven were taken back to Gaza as hostages. 

Noa Marciano died in captivity. Ori Megidish was rescued by Israeli soldiers. The other five have been released through the ceasefire deal and prisoner exchanges 16 months later, with the last, Agam Berger, 20, returning to Israel on Thursday. 

Alongside scenes of celebration, there is a campaign for transparency and accountability over what is often described as the worst security failure in Israel’s history, not least the response to early warnings. 

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, became the latest senior military official to resign over the disaster last week, stating that the army had “failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel.”

An IDF spokesman told The i Paper that several reviews are underway to “learn and derive lessons” and  the findings “will be presented transparently to the public.”

NAHAL OZ, ISRAEL - JANUARY 23: People visit a memorial for the Israeli observation soldiers killed on October 7th with a view of northern Gaza in the background as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza continues on January 23, 2025 in Nahal Oz, Israel. A total of 33 Israeli hostages, taken captive by Hamas and allied groups on Oct. 7, 2023, were to be released in the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, in exchange for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. The details of the second and third phases of the ceasefire have yet to be fully negotiated, but are supposed to entail the release of more hostages - some of whom are presumed dead - and the withdrawal of Israel troops from Gaza. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
A memorial at the Nahal Oz base for the victims of the Hamas attacks (Photo: Chris Mcgrath/Getty)

Bereaved families and their supporters want action to go further. A group of 1,000 Israelis directly affected by the attacks have demanded an independent state commission to investigate, stating in an open letter: “We will stand together as a bulwark against any attempt to establish a political cover-up commission.”

“Only a state commission of inquiry will have the tools and the mandate to investigate everything and everyone; to uncover the truth; to bring justice to the fallen, the murdered, the victims and their families; to strengthen national security; and to prevent the next disaster.”

Opposition lawmakers tabled a bill last week making the same demand, which was voted down by the government. Opposition leader, Yair Lapid, accused opponents of the bill of “spitting in the faces of the bereaved families and the families of the hostages.”

Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has resisted a state commission and floated a proposal for a government enquiry with fewer powers that critics argue would be open to political interference. 

Nimrod Novik, a former senior aide president Shimon Peres and now a political and security analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, believes that Netanyahu is seeking to prevent a full reckoning that would implicate himself. 

“We shall not have the full picture until a National Investigating Commission is established,” he told The i Paper

“Realising that his responsibility for leading a misguided national strategy that led to the 7 October 7 atrocities is bound to be featured prominently in its findings, the prime minister is determined to prevent its convening.”

Among the causes of failure, many of the spotters have pointed to sexism in failing to register the importance of their warnings. 

“There’s no doubt that if men had been sitting at those screens, things would look different,” one member of the unit, speaking anonymously, told Haaretz

Families of the victims are convinced that the disaster could have been averted if their loved ones were heeded. 

“If you had listened to one girl then not one mother would cry,” said Moshe Amar, father of Shirat Yam Amar, who was killed by Hamas, last month. “They could have stopped 7 October 7 before it happened.”

Novik suggests there were multiple layers of failure, including “a combination of a misogynistic and rank-related condescending culture. All spotters were females, whereas their superiors were all males.”

He also points to “arrogance” that led senior officials to believe Hamas did not pose a serious threat, a failure of security technology on the Gaza border, and a lack of strategic vision to move beyond managing the conflict to pursuing a political solution. 

The families affected by 7 October are likely to face an extended wait for official answers to what went wrong on that day. 

But they can still exert influence as they press for the government to stick with the three-phase ceasefire and hostage deal that would see all of the captives return home.



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