The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not have proper training and equipment needed for the operation to destroy Hamas' tunnels in Gaza, a report by Israeli daily news agency Haaretz found.

The findings of Haaretz on Operation Protective Edge in Gaza took Israel's cabinet by surprise because they knew about Hamas' tunnels beforehand. Based on the findings of the major probe, the operation was hindered because of the IDF's lack of training and equipment.

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The investigative report released Friday said it took IDF too long to locate and destroy the 32 Hamas tunnels because they were not fully prepared for the task, said i24 News.

In addition, the report also cited the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip as among the factors that affected the duration of Operation Protective Edge. The aerial bombardment may have caused portions of the structure to collapse, blocking the tunnels, the report explained.

The gap in training and provision may be partly attributed to the budget cuts that the Israeli government implemented this year, the report added.

Last May, IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz issued a statement announcing a decrease in the budget for reserve units' training, citing severe budget deficit as the reason for the move. The reserve service was able to sustain its regular training for the first half of the year, but ran short of budget during the next half, according to the report.

The downsizing of the IDF's reserve structure was part of several adjustments that the nation had to do to deal with the threats it faced, Gantz said. The army chief vowed back then to do their best to not let the budget cut affect the country's security.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon pushed to increase the defense budget, Finance Minister Yair Lapid opposed the move. The latter said they should cut defense spending to avoid decreasing the nation's budget for health and education, the report stated.

In September, Lapid and Israel's premier finally agreed to increase the defense budget by US$2.2 billion for the current financial year. They are set to add another US$1.6 billion to the said budget in 2015.

TagsIsrael Defense Forces, politics, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gaza War