Israel Security Agency (ISA) head, Ronen Bar, spoke on the anniversary of the Hamas massacre on October 7th, 2023 in the Gaza Strip and the war in the south and north.
"A year has passed since Israel failed in its basic duty – protecting its citizens. As an organization that is required to provide both security and a sense of security, we failed to provide sufficient warning, and we all show our respect on this day for those who fell and were killed, for those who were kidnapped, for those who fought and for those we were unable to save. We will dedicate this day as a memorial, to learn and attack in all areas, and we make it clear: The massacre did not impede our determination to defend our country, its citizens and its values, on the contrary – it has only increased our determination," Bar said.
He added, "We are committed to ourselves, to our employees and to the public around us, to complete the process of investigation, together with our combat efforts. We are in the midst of a holding an in-depth investigation that will leave no stone unturned. We are already learning, and as we continue in this process, we are changing and fixing. We are learning about the reasons for the failure and doing all we can to reduce the chances of such failures in the future."
“We feel the impact of the war on many fronts, every day: fighting in Lebanon, thwarting Iranian smuggling routes and attempts at personal attacks, cutting off hundreds of terrorist routes in Judea and Samaria, preventing dangerous cyberattacks, defending embassies around the world, and most importantly, changing the basic reality in Gaza," he stressed.
Bar told ISA employees: "A significant chapter in this historic war began at 06:29 exactly one year ago. When the first sirens sounded, the teams of fighters was sent to the area, already in the early hours of the morning, stopping dozens of terrorists on their way to Ashkelon. As soon as the immense magnitude of the attack was realized, the entire ISA reported for duty. There were those who immediately went to Kfar Azza, to rescue more and more residents, there were those who helped stop the attack at Kibbutz Mefalsim, there were those who fought at Kibbutz Re’im, and there were those who manned the command headquarters.
Some of you were engaged in fighting, some of you prevented fighting in additional areas, and already in the first hours – you set up a command center to locate hostages and missing persons, a response center, that to this day deals with all the perpetrators of the terrible massacre - one by one, until we reach all of them, as well as command teams to arrest senior terrorists. Alongside the intelligence failure, we saw heroic fighting, quick responses, striving for contact and a stubborn war – ever since. October 7th, at 06:29 – This is exactly the time when the resilience of the organization started being measured, and the ISA, from its greatest point of failure, has proven to be unbreakable. What makes an organization unbreakable are its values and skills. An organization whose commanders lead the force – both in investigations and in the field. An organization that is committed to the state and then to itself and to each individual. An organization that knows how to expand into any arena and focus on every operation. An organization that knows that until the last of the hostages has been brought home, we will not have finished our mission. This is the organization that the people of Israel want it to continue to defend them – even when it has failed. The country has lost its best sons and daughters. By doing our work, by changing the situation and restoring deterrence and security to all citizens of Israel, we will be worthy of each and every one," he concluded.