Israel’s air defense system failed to intercept half of the rockets fired by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, Hebrew media reported on Sunday.
The finding is based on an Israel Defense Forces investigation whose findings were presented to the military’s chief of staff, according to Channel 12 News.
It is unclear how many rockets impacted Israeli cities and towns, but the Gaza-based terrorist organization launched a total of 3,700 rockets in the first four hours of the attack. Fourteen people were killed by Hamas rockets, seven of them in unprotected Bedouin communities, according to the Israeli outlet.
The relatively low number of casualties was attributed to sirens warning residents of incoming rockets. The sirens were activated on time and enabled civilians to enter protected areas, according to the report.
It further noted that a number of Iron Dome air defense batteries in the Gaza Envelope suffered unspecified failures in the initial minutes of the assault, resulting in a total lack of interceptions from these batteries.
In the first 20 minutes of the attack, Hamas fired an unprecedented 1,400 rockets into Israel. Many Iron Dome batteries were depleted in the face of the massive barrage, according to Channel 12
Hamas’s invasion of Israeli territory cut off some batteries’ supply routes; in one instance, an officer and two soldiers were killed while attempting to resupply batteries.
The report added that the main lesson drawn from these events by the military is the need to deploy Iron Dome batteries in larger numbers, even during times of prolonged quiet.
In the past, Hebrew media reported that the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre marked the largest single rocket attack on Israel in its history. For context, Hezbollah fired 4,400 rockets into Israel over the 34-day Second Lebanon War in 2006.
