The IDF sharply criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office, following briefings given to the media on Saturday, which, according to senior army officers, "endangered the forces" during airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night.
The events began on Saturday morning, when rockets fired from Gaza landed off the coast of Tel Aviv.
Following the shooting - which Hamas claimed was carried out inadvertently - consultations began at the top of the security and political echelons.
The dilemma was whether to respond, and if so, to what extent.
Some officials believed that the response should be relatively strong, since a few days earlier a shooting had taken place near the fence in the northern Gaza Strip, which caused a minor injury to a contractor on behalf of the Ministry of Defense.
However, the prominent line in the consultations was that a moderate response should be taken, given the efforts to reach a settlement in the Gaza Strip.
The fear was that an overly harsh response would lead to a counter-reaction by Hamas and an unwanted deterioration, while talks with the terrorist organization are at a sensitive time.
The Egyptians also exerted pressure on Israel to act moderately to calm the situation.
At the end of Saturday, it was reported in the media that Israel intends to respond to the shooting.
This was an unusual report: Israel does not usually update in advance on its response methods, and certainly does not announce that it intends to attack - so as not to allow the enemy to prepare for it.
There is a dual reason for this avoidance: the desire to maintain the element of surprise in order to achieve maximum effect in the attack, and the attempt to maintain information security to reduce the risk to forces.
The IAF attacked Gaza on Saturday night using fighter jets and fighter helicopters.
An IDF spokesman said at the time that the attack was aimed at infrastructure for the production of weapons in Gaza. It was also reported that during the attack, anti-aircraft fire was identified at an IAF aircraft.
These were missiles fired at the aircraft, which were not hit.
Such missiles have only a limited ability to endanger fighter jets, however they may significantly endanger fighter helicopters, which as mentioned participated in the same attack.
IDF attack in Gaza, Photo: IPI
The IDF was furious at this conduct. Senior officials said that these briefings were unprecedented. The IDF claims that the Prime Minister's Office is responsible for the briefings, which were conducted for political reasons.
"Hamas received advance notice, and knew we would arrive. He was waiting for us. Whoever stepped in endangered the forces," said one of the sources.
Another senior official said that "it's the kind of red lines that don't cross them. The iron rule is that you never talk about operational activity before it takes place."
The criticism was also directed against the exaggerated expectations, according to the sources, who created the briefings for the IDF response. "The gap between the tension that was built in preparation for the IDF response and what actually happened - was ridiculous," the senior official said.
"It makes us look unserious, both at home and in front of the other side."
The Prime Minister's Office said: "Complete nonsense. The briefings described were not and were not created."
The IDF Spokesman's response: "Such criticism is not recognized, and if it exists, it is not in the opinion of the IDF and the Chief of Staff.
"The IDF does not criticize the political echelon."
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