The former Chief of Staff of the IDF, Herzi Halevi: "We had to go to war in Gaza, but the order of priorities was first Iran, then Hezbollah, then Hamas, because we did not know that Hamas intended to take such a step (attack on October 7). The prevailing impression in the Israeli army and the General Security Service was that on the political level (the Shin Bet) did not want to prove itself in the political war either. Its ability to take care of two million Palestinians in Gaza, in preparation for later control of the West Bank.