Hamas warnings on border go unnoticed: Israel's overlooked surveillance

A group of young female conscripts, known as tatzpitaniyot, were responsible for surveillance on Israel's Gaza border. They spent hours in surveillance bases, looking for signs of suspicious activity. In the months leading up to the Hamas attacks on 7 October, they observed practices raids and mock hostage-taking by Hamas, as well as unusual behavior from farmers on the other side of the fence. The women reported their findings to intelligence officers, but felt powerless to take further action. Many of them believed that Hamas was planning a major attack, but felt their concerns were not taken seriously by senior Israel Defense Force (IDF) officers. The women had formed close bonds with each other during their time in the military and took their surveillance responsibilities seriously. The IDF declined to answer the BBC's questions about the women's observations and the lack of response from IDF officers. Experts and grieving families have criticized the IDF's handling of the situation, seeing it as part of a broader intelligence failure. The tatzpitaniyot provided important information about potential threats, but their concerns were not acted upon.