Across Israel on Wednesday, people are marking three years since the brutal Hamas terrorist attack on Gaza border communities and other parts of the country on October 7, 2023, a date that remains deeply etched in the national consciousness.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Tal Russo, who commanded the IDF Southern Command from 2010 to 2013, reflected on Israel’s situation three years later and said he still struggles to understand what happened that day. Russo said both the military and the state collapsed on October 7, adding that he had already seen early signs of erosion and arrogance years earlier.
Russo made the remarks in an interview with Gideon Oko and Amichai Attali on 103FM Radio.
Describing what he saw as the attack unfolded, Russo said: "I looked at the television and couldn’t believe it. I told myself: They’ll sweep them away any minute, they’ll clear this up any minute, but I didn’t understand the collapse of the security systems; the state collapsed."
"Only the heroism of civilians, police officers, soldiers, volunteer organizations - that is what stopped it. There was no state; the IDF wasn’t there," Russo added. "For three years I have been frustrated and unable to fully process it because so many things happened that led to that moment. Have we learned anything from it? Some things yes, but many things no."
Russo: State commission of inquiry could help prevent same mistakes in future
He also addressed the debate over establishing a state commission of inquiry, saying it could help Israel understand the circumstances behind the failure and prevent a similar breakdown in the future.
"Everything consists of internal investigations by the military and various bodies. It is important to establish a state commission of inquiry in order to assign the tasks in an orderly manner. It would have been better if this had happened closer to the event, but it will certainly improve things," Russo added.
He also reflected on the scale of the October 7 attack.
"When I try to define October 7, there isn’t even a word in Hebrew to understand the scale of the disaster, the failure, the massacre. I still haven’t found the appropriate word for the greatest tragedy that has happened to the State of Israel," Russo added.
Speaking about Hamas, which Russo said he knows well, he described how Israel’s approach to the terrorist organization changed over time.
Russo: Hamas went from 'enemy' to 'partner'
"Hamas in my time was an enemy," he said. "Afterward it became a partner; I didn’t understand that. For me, it was clear that you don’t talk to it and don’t do anything with it. It was a relatively weak organization. After that, it grew, received money from us, and developed," he said.
Russo concluded by saying that he had already identified signs of erosion in Israel’s approach to Hamas during his time in command.
Russo said, "I am troubled by the erosion of all kinds of things, through the arrogance of commanders and politicians: as though we control things, it is inexplicable arrogance. This is not something I am saying in hindsight; I saw this arrogance, and it frustrated me."