The Mossad carried out operations in Gaza during the era of former Mossad director Yossi Cohen, but not since 2021, and certainly not anytime leading up to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Sunday.
An initial report about the Mossad’s surprising involvement in Gaza – given that in general the spy agency leaves that area to the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) – was aired by Channel 12 earlier on Sunday, though sources told the Post that aspects of the report were inaccurate.
For example, the report said that the Mossad’s operations in Gaza were independent, sizable operations into which the clandestine agency invested significant resources.
In contrast, sources told the Post that the operations were small-scale, minor, and in partnership and at the request of the IDF and the Shin Bet.
One other detail in the Channel 12 report was that the operations related to trying to crack Hamas’s various military and intelligence agencies, and that all of the operations had failed.
In addition, the Channel 12 report appeared to seek to connect the dots to recently retired Mossad director David Barnea by emphasizing other actions the Mossad took during his era which had some bearing on October 7.
Pre-October 7 Mossad opinion claimed Hamas remained deterred
One example was a Mossad opinion from a few weeks before October 7, concurring with the IDF and the Shin Bet that Hamas remained deterred.
While the Mossad made the same mistake here as the IDF and the Shin Bet, it has not been hung out with as much negative responsibility for the October 7 failure, because its main focus is on Iran and the broader global field – much less on neighboring countries, and least of all the Palestinians.
In any event, there is no particular connection between this opinion issued during Barnea’s era and operations which took place years earlier under Cohen (2016-2021.)
Barnea allowed to serve full term as Mossad head while others pressured to resign
It appeared likely that the sources of the leaks were former IDF and Shin Bet officials seeking to even the score with the Mossad for what they have seen as its failure to take responsibility for October 7 in the way that the other defense agencies have been forced to.
Barnea was allowed to serve out his full five-year term, whereas former IDF chief Herzi Halevi resigned under pressure after just over two years of a three-to-four-year term and former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar resigned under pressure after just under four years of a five-year term. Numerous other IDF and Shin Bet officials also resigned due to October 7.
In recent months and years, periodically, stories about errors of the Mossad have leaked out from former defense establishment figures.
Both Cohen and Barnea declined to make any public comment.
