Virtual Event | History Repeating? An Examination of Israel’s Intelligence and Policy Failures in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War and October 2023 Hamas Attack

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On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedentedly sophisticated terrorist attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 men, women, and children, and the kidnapping of 250 hostages. That attack commenced 50 years and one day after the start of the October 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which Egypt and Syria coordinated a crippling surprise military assault on Israel, which until this past year, stood as the worst intelligence and military readiness failure in Israel’s history. There are haunting similarities emerging between the intelligence, military, and policy failures that precipitated the two largest catastrophes in Israeli history. What lessons were learned after 1973 that may have been forgotten since, enabling Hamas’ terrible success?

On January 26, CNAS hosted an event with Dr. Uri Bar-Joseph, Professor Emeritus at University of Haifa; Dr. Itai Shapira, retired Colonel from Israel Defense Intelligence (IDI); and Dr. Devorah Margolin, Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Fellow at The Washington Institute; hosted by Jonathan Lord, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS. Panelists examined the similarities of the failures that precipitated October 1973 and October 2023, and consider what steps the United States and Israel might take to prevent future calamities.

Featured Speaker:

Dr. Uri Bar-Joseph
Professor Emeritus
University of Haifa

Dr. Itai Shapira
Retired Colonel
Israel Defense Intelligence

Dr. Devorah Margolin
Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Fellow
The Washington Institute
for Near East Policy

Moderator:

Jonathan Lord
Senior Fellow and Director, Middle East Security Program
CNAS