Another counter-terrorism expert, ColLior Lotan, formerly a senior officer in the army's elite Sayeret Matkal unit, said that the Indians "operated as if there were no hostages".

"When you're rescuing captives, you enter fast, with maximum force, and try to reach the hostages as quickly as possible, even at the price of casualties," he said, adding "Here, they operated much more cautiously."

"It is not clear why the area was not cleared of bystanders, or why the comparatively risky option of a helicopter-borne assault was chosen," they reportedly said.

The explosion that blew in the ground-floor door occurred before soldiers landed on the rooftop, whereas for maximum effect, they should have occurred simultaneously, they noted.