Israeli document: first “Gideon” vehicles failed to achieve objectives in Gaza

An internal Israeli document distributed to ground maneuver units in preparation for launching new operations in Gaza revealed the failure of the first “Operation Gideon Vehicles”, saying it achieved none of its declared objectives.

According to the document, reported by Channel 12 (Hebrew), the first operation was disorganized and focused on signaling deterrence rather than achieving decisive results, which made the human and material cost greater than the battlefield gains and put the army’s resources at risk.

The document said that the touted success of the operation by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and some ministers in the “war cabinet” does not reflect reality, and that the operation was chaotic and lacked a real strategy. It added that mistakes were made in ways that contradict Israeli war doctrine, and that fighting in Gaza was conducted in a “wasteful” manner and according to a weak operational culture, with an absence of strategic decision-making.

These developments come as the Israeli military prepares for a new phase of mobilization in Gaza amid expectations of escalated ground and air operations, while international pressure on Israel continues over the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Strip.