Israel had failed to foresee the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, which was a surprise attack on its borders by a coalition of Arab states, which occurred nearly 50 years ago to the day.
Now, it appears that the nation's intelligence agencies have once again been duped by a false sense of security.
A surprise attack on Israel on Saturday morning by air, land, and sea undermined the generally held view in Israeli society that the Islamist group Hamas would avoid a major military conflict with Israel in order to preserve itself and spare further misery and injury to the population of Gaza.
Rockets are sent off by Palestinian aggressors from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Hatem Moussa/AP
Israeli cops empty a lady and kid from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon, southern Israel. Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Iranians wave Palestinian banners during a festival of the Hamas assault against Israel in Tehran. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
Israeli warplanes focus on a pinnacle in Gaza City after the Hamas assault. Mohammed Saber/EPA