When Israeli military leaders said in 2021 that a $1 billion revamp of the long-standing barrier along the Gaza Strip would prevent incursions from Hamas, people living in the nearby Kfar Aza kibbutz trusted them.

“They build a big wall, they said to us,” resident Israel Lender, 65, said in an interview for this film, a collaboration between The Washington Post and @frontline. “We believed that this can protect us,” he said.

The documentary examines the barrier’s catastrophic failure. The investigation found that the so-called Iron Wall was in fact a fragile barrier that gave Israel a false sense of security. A dependence on the structure and its sophisticated surveillance tools ultimately blinded Israel to its own vulnerabilities — and to a meticulous plan of attack that was taking shape on the other side.

The film expands on a visual investigation published by The Post last month, which reconstructed the attack: https://youtu.be/mcSoNyNd428?si=24wsaKmi5GO9k2N8

Reporters analyzed hundreds of videos, photos, and audio recordings from before, during and after the assault by Hamas. The Post also examined maps and planning documents recovered from slain Hamas fighters.

In retaliation for the Hamas attack, Israel unleashed a war in Gaza that has so far killed more than 18,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas, which controls the densely populated enclave.

The film premieres Tuesday on PBS and streaming platforms and online at washingtonpost.com. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

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