TEHRAN – Israeli officials have publicly insisted that Gideon’s tank operation, a major May and aviation attack aimed at defeating Hamas, freeing Israeli prisoners and gaining control of most of the Gaza Strip, publicly that the new leaked internal documents from the Israeli army tell a very different story.
A critical assessment, created by the Israeli Army’s Ground Forces Operations Training Centre, describes this operation as a strategic and operational failure, highlighting patterns of mismanagement, indecisiveness and underestimation of Palestinian resistance.
The leaked booklet distributed to units operating within Gaza acknowledges that Israel has “made every possible mistake in war management.”
Among the errors listed, they provide Hamas with logistics that benefited indirectly, fight free wars without time management, relying on inappropriate fighting methods, and launching attacks without decisive consequences.
One particularly awful passageway was that “the cost of operation was considered more important than the mission itself.” In other words, Israeli leadership praised the restraint and “measured” tactics, but soldiers on the ground hesitated to view this approach as self-defeating.
Hamas’ endurance and Israel’s stagnation
The report acknowledges Hamas has all the necessary conditions to survive and claim victory. Underground shelters, psychological leverage by prisoners, adaptable tactics, and the ability to withstand long-term conflicts.
In contrast, Israeli forces shaking over the topography of Gaza’s dense urban terrain, suffering from slow progress, bureaucracy and lack of consistent strategy.
Another section discusses the defective operational logic of Israel.
– Don’t focus on the true center of gravity of your enemy.
– Confined forces without clear exit strategies.
– War without defined end dates, gives Hamas time to reorganize.
– Temporary occupations in areas that were quickly lost.
The leaked documents even acknowledge Hamas leaders survive and remained intact as fighter morale. This is a severe contradiction to Israeli officials’ claims of “decisive outcomes.”
Increased victims and social costs
Since the war with Gaza began in October 2023, Israel has suffered major losses. More than 900 Israeli soldiers were killed and thousands of wounded.
The impact on Israeli society was serious. Large-scale demonstrations across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa have led protests with soldiers and hostage families in response to government handling of conflict.
The financial sacrifice is also incredible. The long-term mobilization of preventives disrupted the workplace, but billions of dollars were poured into wars that failed to meet their targets by the military’s own entry.
Strategic dependence and political crisis
The leaked rating highlights another weakness. That Israel relies on the US military and political support. Far from demonstrating independence, the war highlighted Israel’s dependence. American weapons and diplomatic cover proved essential to maintaining operations.
The document also states “intelligence gaps and weak information security” and failures in nighttime operations and special missions. These entrances undermine Israel’s carefully constructed image of military superiority.
The Chief of Staff and Cabinet Minister continue to assemble Operation Gideon’s tanks as a necessary and successful campaign, but the Army’s own internal assessments paint a picture of strategic confusion and defeat.
For Palestinians, leaks serve as evidence of resilience. Despite its overwhelming firepower, Hamas not only survived, but also forced Israel to a costly and decisive war.
As protests increase and war sacrifices deepen, these leaks could mark a turning point, not only in Israel’s military reliability, but also in its broad political stability.