Israeli soldiers look at the remains of a police station which was the site of a battle following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, has begun conducting an investigation into the operational reasons for the failures leading up to and during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The Shin Bet is probing various units to examine how Palestinian terrorists from Gaza were able to launch the surprise invasion, in which about 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken as hostages, Israeli media reported.

The investigation will last at least a few weeks and potentially take months because the war in Gaza is still ongoing. The state comptroller has reportedly begun gathering evidence to support the investigation.

Such a probe was expected, though many observers were unsure if Shin Bet head Ronen Bar would wait until the end of the war to begin.

Shortly following the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, Bar issued a statement taking responsibility for the security failures of that day.

“Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to generate sufficient warning that would allow us to foil the attack,” he said at the time. “As the one who is at the head of the organization, the responsibility for this is on me. There will be time for investigations — now we are fighting.”

Reports have already come about some of the alleged failures by the Shin Bet, including news from last week that hundreds of Israeli SIM cards were activated in the Gaza Strip in the hours before the attack, which could have indicated plans for an invasion.

Additionally, it was reported shortly following the war’s launch that the Israeli security establishment, including Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, met from midnight until 5 am shortly before the morning attack, concluding that the invasion that began only an hour later would not actually occur.

Beyond the Shin Bet, the Israeli army this week also announced its own internal investigation into the events of Oct. 7.

“Just as charging in the face of enemy fire requires strength and courage, so also facing the interrogations requires courage and leadership,” Halevi wrote in a letter to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commanders.

“The purpose of the investigation is one: learning. We experienced difficult events at the beginning of the fighting, we failed to protect civilians — a supreme task,” the chief of staff continued. “If we do not courageously analyze what we have done, we will find it difficult to learn and improve; we will find it difficult to stand up to the citizens of Israel and say that we have tested and learned and will know how to protect them better.”