Shin Bet And October 7th in Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

According to the latest Central Bureau of Statistics figures ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Israel's population is at an estimated 10.305 million, with 7.828 million Jews and 2.173 million are Arabs. 

Breakdown of the Population

Male Population: ~49.8% of the total population.
Female Population: ~50.17% to 50.2% of the total population.
Sex Ratio: About 99.2 males for every 100 females.
Approximately 120,000 citizens turn 18 in Israel each year and reach the age to register for the Israel Defense Forces, (IDF) split roughly evenly between males and females.
Obligation: Compulsory service applies to Jewish men and women, as well as Druze and Circassian men. 
Exemptions: Non-Druze Arab citizens, certain religious women, married individuals, and those medically or mentally unfit are exempt.
Annual Intake: Recent draft data shows that active annual conscript intakes skew toward men (around 58% to 62%) versus women (38% to 42%). 
Active Service Age: The active draft age is typically 18, though new recruits can range from 17 up to their late 20s or early 30s depending on specialized programs or immigration status. 



In this day and age, the IDF is constantly on the front lines of a war. The IDF and Shin Bet report that they had destroyed three weapons depots and a rocket launch pit in Gaza, belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that had been used to fire rockets at Israel during the war.
 A statement said, “The terrorist organizations stored dozens of different kinds of weapons inside the storage facilities, including rockets, Kalachnikov rifles, and additional combat equipment. 
Furthermore, the IDF identified that recently, Hamas terrorists have been arriving at the storage facilities and using the weapons stored inside them to establish control in the Gaza Strip and carry out operations."s

Ronen Bar, Shin Bet Chief, now clashing in court showroom
We know what the IDF is, and that we have been fighting in a defensive position, but Shin Bet?  What is that?  The Shin Bet (also known as the Israel Security Agency or Shabak) is Israel's internal security and counterintelligence service. 
Core Responsibilities of Shin Bet
Counterterrorism: Detecting and preventing terrorist networks, plots, and attacks within Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.(and of course the big questions is what happened to allow Oct 7th to happen?  Our guard was down.)According to AI, The [Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar knew an invasion was likely by 4:30 AM on October 7, 2023, but did not immediately wake Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or sound a wide alarm. 
Intelligence and Early Morning Failures
Late Warnings: The Shin Bet only updated the prime minister's military secretary minutes before the assault began. 
Ignored Plans: Internal agency investigations later admitted that the Shin Bet dismissed prior blueprints of Hamas attacks (such as "The Walls of Jericho" plan) and falsely assumed Hamas did not want an all-out war. 
Missed Signals: The agency suffered from gaps in human intelligence and failed to piece together tactical indicators happening hours and days before the invasion. (That's not like them).  
Counterintelligence: Protecting state secrets, uncovering foreign espionage, and preventing subversion.
Protective Security: Securing high-ranking government officials (including the prime minister), national infrastructure, embassies, and the national airline, El Al. 
Organization and Structure
Leadership: The head of the Shin Bet reports directly to the Prime Minister of Israel.
Community: It is one of the three main branches of the Israeli intelligence community, alongside Mossad (foreign intelligence) and Aman (military intelligence).
Motto: "Magen veLo Yera'e" ("Defender that shall not be seen" or "The unseen shield"). 

Hamas and Israeli Hostages, Security Matters With Shin Bet

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Einav Zangauker, center, the mother of Matan Zangauker, an Israeli hostage held in Gaza, near the Gaza border in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, on Tuesday.Credit...Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Hamas says that it will not engage in new ceasefire negotiations and that continued Israeli attacks on Gaza would result in "the killing of many Israeli hostages."  At the same time, demonstrations are going on in Jerusalem complaining of the government's handling in getting hostages back.  "[This is exactly what Hamas wants, and they are using the hostages as psychological warfare tools to achieve disunity and unrest in Israel.] " Hamas is responsible and only has one thought in their head, drive out Jews, dispose of Jews, hate Jews.  

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday’s attack (3/18/25) on Gaza came after Hamas said no to the latest proposals by mediators, which included releasing the remaining captives."  Demonstrators cannot face losing their family members or friends, easily understood to be so affected, and army doesn't want to lose more lives either.  March was the end of the 1st phase and Hamas released 30 Israeli and foreign hostages and handed over 8 bodies, in exchange for the Israeli release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. That's a lopsided ratio of 30/1000 to get hostages, but lives were worth it, as they could decide then.  How can they trust terrorists like Hamas ?  

 Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Hamas had rejected all of the proposals presented by U.S. envoy Witkoff and that negotiations would now occur "under fire".  Israel has already retrieved 130 or more hostages since October 7, and then 40 bodies since then.  

 He said, "Israel will now act against Hamas with increasing force. Hamas has already felt our military power in the past 24 hours. I promise you—and them—this is just the beginning. We will keep fighting until we achieve all of our war objectives. Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel."

The IDF eliminated terrorists today in northern Gaza, who were preparing to launch rockets at Israel. The IDF dropped leaflets warning residents of Khan Younis to immediately evacuate to safety ahead of an attack. Israeli attacks are occurring throughout Gaza. 

The surprise air strikes yesterday eliminated at least 6 senior Hamas officials and commanders and one Islamic Jihad leader.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, center, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, right, and chief of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar at the IAF's underground command center at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 18, 2025. (IDF)  Ronen Bar. Ronen Bar (Hebrew: רונן בר; born 25 December 1965) is an Israeli intelligence officer and the director of the Israeli Security Agency (commonly referred to as Shin Bet, Shabak, or ISA) since 13 October 2021. He replaced Nadav Argaman, after having served as his deputy since 2018.  He had served for the past 7 years.  

Nadav Argaman (Hebrew: נָדָב אַרְגָּמָן; born 11 August 1960) is a former director of Shin Bet from 8 May 2016 to 13 October 2021. He previously served as deputy head of Shin Bet, Operations Division chief, and the Shin Bet representative in the United States.  He's 64.  

The decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet does not occur in a vacuum. We are at the height of an overhaul of our judiciary, during which the government is advancing its takeover of the judicial system this week.  A few days ago, a law was passed changing the process for selecting the Ombudsman of the Judiciary, which investigates complaints against judges, allowing complete coalition control over the appointment for this position. This institution, originally meant to conduct impartial reviews of complaints, will now become a politically driven tool for the coalition.  This week, the Knesset is debating a bill to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, allowing for politicization of the judiciary at all levels. Instead of judges whose decisions are based on professional considerations, we will get judges whose appointment depends on political loyalty.  Sound familiar?

What is the Shin Bet?  'the General Security Service' (GSS); better known by the acronyms Shabak (Hebrew: שב״כ; IPA: [ʃaˈbak]; Arabic: شاباك) or Shin Bet (from the abbreviation of Sherut ha-Bitaẖon, "Security Service"), is Israel's internal security service.Though not a perfect comparison, the Shin Bet is often seen as comparable to the FBI in the US.

Meanwhile, thousands demonstrated in Jerusalem against the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief and what they call the "abandonment of the hostages to their fate" in the renewal of the Gaza war. 

Resource:

israelAM

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-hostages.html

https://en.idi.org.il/articles/58715

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Bet#:~:text='the%20General%20Security%20Service'%20(,is%20Israel's%20internal%20security%20service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadav_Argaman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronen_Bar#:~:text=Ronen%20Bar%20(Hebrew%3A%20%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%9F%20%D7%91%D7%A8,as%20his%20deputy%20since%202018.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-airs-image-of-new-idf-chief-with-heads-of-shin-bet-air-force-at-command-center-overnight/