IDF inquiry finds Paga outpost was unprepared for the October 7 assault

The Israel Defense Forces has concluded that the Paga outpost, officially named Magen Be’eri, was not prepared for the scale of the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023. The findings form part of the military’s continuing examination of the failures that preceded and accompanied the attack on southern Israel.

According to reporting based on the inquiry, between 60 and 80 Hamas attackers overran the post west of Kibbutz Be’eri. Eighteen soldiers and commanders were killed in fighting at the outpost and a nearby tank position, 22 were wounded, and the bodies of two soldiers were taken into Gaza. Both bodies were later returned to Israel.

The inquiry found that the IDF “failed to fulfil its defensive mission”. Investigators said the operational approach before October 7 had largely prepared troops for disturbances near the border fence, not a coordinated surprise attack across the sector. Training, defensive positions, equipment and infrastructure were all found to be insufficient for the scenario that unfolded.

The inquiry was conducted over ten months using testimony, radio communications, video and material from related investigations. Its findings were presented to bereaved families and senior military leadership. The review also documented individual acts of courage by soldiers and junior commanders who continued fighting after command structures had been badly damaged.

The findings concern the Paga position and should not be confused with the earlier IDF inquiry into the battle inside Kibbutz Be’eri. They are an internal military investigation, not an independent judicial commission. Questions about wider political and military responsibility therefore remain beyond the scope of this report.

The inquiry’s central tension is clear: systemic failure and personal courage can be true at the same time. Naming institutional shortcomings does not diminish the soldiers who faced an attack for which the system had not adequately prepared them. Nor should accounts of heroism be used to avoid accountability.

Bereaved families were briefed before the findings were made public. GOD News has not independently interviewed those families and does not assume that one military inquiry answers every question they may have. The public record should continue to be tested against testimony, documentary evidence and any future independent review.