Israel SitRep: July 12, 2024

Today’s Issue: Report on Be’eri Attacks: Army Failed to Protect Kibbutz, Bravery of Residents and Rapid Responders Commendable | IDF Raids Gaza City UNRWA Headquarters, Finds Weapons, Drone Parts, and Command Room | IAF Eliminates Hamas Internal Security Officer and Hamas Military Intelligence Team Leader | Alma Analysis: Hezbollah Footage of Iron Dome Sites Is ‘Critical Issue That Must Be Addressed’ | Latest FDD Analysis

Report on Be’eri Attacks: Army Failed to Protect Kibbutz, Bravery of Residents and Rapid Responders Commendable: The IDF on Thursday published a report on the findings of its investigation into the events of October 7 at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 101 civilians were killed and 32 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. The inquiry found that “the IDF failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri” and that “the bravery of the Be’eri residents and the members of the kibbutz’s civilian rapid response team is commendable and was crucial in … preventing the attack from spreading to other parts of the kibbutz.” According to the findings, some 340 terrorists infiltrated Be’eri, about 100 of them from Hamas’s Nukhba force. The report says that members of Israel’s security forces “operated with great bravery and heroism,” with 31 killed and many injured. The investigation took some three months and included hundreds of hours of interviews and conversations with kibbutz members, civilian rapid response team members, and security forces. To create “as clear and accurate a picture” as possible, thousands of materials and data points were gathered. The investigation’s findings were presented to Be’eri members, families of hostages kidnapped from the kibbutz, and bereaved families.

IDF Raids Gaza City UNRWA Headquarters, Finds Weapons, Drone Parts, and Command Room: On Friday, the IDF reported that Egoz and Maglan Commando Brigade soldiers raided UNRWA’s Gaza City headquarters, which was being used by Hamas. During the raid, carried out this week, soldiers fought the Hamas operatives inside the compound and detained those who attempted to flee. They also found drone parts and a large quantity of weapons, including rockets, mortars, machine guns, and grenades, as well as a command room. Troops also raided a university and found a lab for producing weapons and explosives. The raids were part of a new IDF operation in Gaza City’s southern and western neighborhoods. Earlier this year, the IDF raided the same UNRWA compound, which has not been used recently by UNRWA. The report includes footage of the operation, including footage of a drone discovered in the compound, as well as photos of the weapons found during the raid.

IAF Eliminates Hamas Internal Security Officer and Hamas Military Intelligence Team Leader: The Israeli Air Force announced on Thursday that this week, working with the IDF and the Shin Bet, it launched a drone strike in the central Gaza Strip that killed Hassan Abu Kuwaik, head of the Security Operations Department in the Central Camps District of Hamas’s internal security apparatus. According to the IAF, he was a military operative as well as an operative on Hamas’s emergency committee, which led to many terror attacks against Israel. Nasser Mahana, a team leader in Hamas’s military intelligence, was also eliminated. In addition, an IAF drone struck a military complex in central Gaza from which terrorists had fired at troops from the Commando Brigade. In the past day, troops from the 162nd Division, working with the IAF, eliminated dozens of terrorists.

Alma Analysis: Hezbollah Footage of Iron Dome Sites Is ‘Critical Issue That Must Be Addressed’: On Thursday, the Alma Research and Education Center published an analysis of the second Hezbollah drone footage video, which was published on July 9. The new video shows numerous military sites in the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, in contrast to the first video, published on June 18, which focused on civilian sites and potential civilian targets in Haifa. The new video was filmed over several months during a large number of sorties. According to Alma, Hezbollah is probably using psychological warfare and claiming that its drones are constantly infiltrating Israel’s skies. Alma notes, however, that the sites shown in the video are generally not extremely important, unlike those shown in the previous video. The cities of Safed and Tiberias appear near the end, with Hezbollah stating that this is a preview of the next video. Alma notes that the video shows Iron Dome deployment sites, which will be among Hezbollah’s main targets in a future conflict, adding that the documentation of the sites is a “critical issue that must be addressed” and noting that “Hezbollah is currently investing in locating and striking them as part of [its] ongoing war routine.”

Latest FDD Analysis:

“FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Conricus and Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, FDD Event

“Meet Iran’s New Boss, Same as the Old Boss,” Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, The Wall Street Journal

“IDF releases its first probe into October 7 failures as the Shejaiya raid ends,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Iran-Backed Houthis Continue Targeting Commercial Shipping,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Orders Evacuation of Gaza City as Ceasefire Talks Persist,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Details Failure to Defend Kibbutz Be’eri During October 7 Atrocities,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Defying U.S. Law, Biden Administration Fails to Report on Iran’s Nuclear Program,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief