Israel army chief Zamir says military must draw lessons from Oct 7 'failures'

Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the military must draw lessons from the "failures" of the response to the October 7, 2023 attack, according to an army statement.

He spoke ahead of the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

What did Israel's army chief say about the Oct 7 failures?

Zamir said the Israeli military "failed severely" on October 7 but "got back on its feet". He said investigations into the failures are now concluding, and that the army must not sink into them but learn, draw lessons, implement them and move forward.

In his remarks, Zamir said: "On October 7th, the IDF (Israeli military) failed severely, but the IDF got back on its feet." He added: "Today, we conclude the investigations into the failures of October 7th, with an understanding of the magnitude of the disaster, alongside the understanding that we must not sink into them, but rather learn, draw lessons, implement them and move forward."

How many people were killed in the Oct 7 attack and the war that followed?

The attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The massive Israeli offensive in response has left most of Gaza in ruins.

Gaza's health ministry says the offensive has killed more than 74,200 people. The ministry is under Hamas authority, and the United Nations considers its figures reliable.