Series of Steps Resulted in Border Breach

When the 40-mile, steel-and-concrete barrier between Israel and the Gaza Strip was unveiled in 2021—featuring a 20-foot fence, radar, and underground sensors—Defense Minister Benny Gantz called it an "iron wall" that would keep Israelis in the south safe from Hamas. "This barrier will provide Israeli citizens a sense of security and will enable this beautiful region to continue developing and flourishing," he said, per the Wall Street Journal. On Saturday, Hamas forces thoroughly breached the border, pouring across in an attack on Israel. Experts outside Israel are among those expressing shock at the breakdown.

David Friedman, who was US ambassador to Israel in the Trump administration, said he's been following Israel for more than 40 years. "I've never seen the border breached in this manner," Friedman said, per NBC News. "Usually, even one person from Gaza gets close to the border, they're intercepted and neutralized long before they can do anything." The Times of Israel analyzed video clips broadcast Sunday by a Hamas-controlled TV station to piece together how the breach happened. Several steps were involved.

First, Hamas drones bombed Israeli military observation towers and weapons systems on the border. Then hundreds of rockets were fired at southern and central Israel while Hamas forces on paragliders flew over the border. Other forces approached the border fence and used large explosive devices to blow holes in it, allowing hundreds to pour across, often in trucks and on motorcycles. Next, Israeli army posts along the border were attacked. Gunmen moved farther into Israel, killing and taking hostages. Israel's navy was able to stop an attempt to invade by sea, per the Times. (More Israel stories.)