Former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Carmi Gillon, who resigned from his position after the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, commented on Wednesday, for the first time since October 7, on the failures that led to Hamas’ murderous attack.
"The story of October 7 is something that no one imagined could happen. The fact that the citizens of the State of Israel have been involved in every war since the Second Lebanon War - because of the missiles - did not take into account the occupation of land and the murder and kidnapping of civilians," Gillon said in an interview with Channel 12 News.
"I don't have an intelligence-related explanation. I think that as the fighting continues and more facts about Hamas' preparations are revealed - it turns out that the intelligence failure is huge," he added.
He said that, for many days, he had difficulty digesting the massacre. "My cousin was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri and I was at a ceremony held in his memory and there I heard first-hand about the terrible massacre and I began to understand."
On the need for the current head of the Shin Bet to take responsibility for the failure, Gillon said, "I think that Ronen Bar feels - and he expressed it publicly - a very heavy sense of responsibility. He must continue to function in the meantime as he has a war on terror to continue to run. Sinwar will not be located with intelligence and tanks, but rather in a surgical operation."
Gillon claimed, "In my opinion, the war is over. The only reason, in my opinion, that the IDF remains in the field, is to bring back the hostages. The military pressure in the Strip is the only thing that can bring the hostages home."
"We embarked on a war of revenge and this is absolutely justified in light of what we have been through. There is no citizen in the country who does not directly or indirectly carry the war on his shoulders. The only reason for the war today is the return of the hostages. Hamas has been dealt a blow and it will remain the governing body in the Strip as long as there is a vacuum and there is no one else to fill it. Up until now, everyone has fled Gaza. It may be that there will be a ceasefire for five or six years and the ritual of the missiles will return. However, the story of what happened on October 7, in my opinion, will not repeat itself."