The holes in the Israeli intelligence services
How Hamas pierced the Israeli services in the attack on October 7th
HAMAS' MOVES THANKS TO THE HOLES IN THE ISRAELI SERVICES
According to American intelligence sources, Hamas used open source intelligence (OSINT) in the attack on October 7, 2023, considered the largest and most devastating terrorist attack in the history of Israel. Hamas did not rely on clandestine sources of information, but rather leveraged publicly available data to analyze Israel's defense structure along the border. The information was gathered from various sources, including online maps and Israeli media broadcasts, which provided details on border communities and military facilities.
THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION
The data collection also included information from human intelligence (HUMINT) sources, particularly from Gaza workers employed in Israel. During interrogations of Hamas members detained after the attack, it emerged that the organization used detailed maps, such as those available on Google Earth, to plan the attack .
NATIONAL SECURITY SITES
In Israel, some argue the need for greater OSINT protection, especially for sites related to national security. However, implementing such measures could be complex given the nature of Israel's open society and the public's strong “right to know”.
CRITICISM OF ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE
In parallel, Israeli intelligence, including the military intelligence's central OSINT unit, has been criticized for not paying sufficient attention to publicly available information, including Hamas social media posts publicizing their military exercises. This has led to a misassessment of Hamas' capabilities and an overestimation of the readiness of the Israel Defense Forces.
THE IMPORTANCE OF OSINT
This Hamas attack reflects the growing importance of OSINT in terrorism and national security, demonstrating how publicly available information can be exploited to plan and execute complex attacks.
– Read also: How and why US intelligence assists Israel
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/hamas-servizi-israele/ on Fri, 08 Dec 2023 08:21:37 +0000.