Israeli defence minister calls for state inquiry into October 7 failures
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called for a state inquiry into failings around the October 7 Hamas attack, saying it should investigate himself and his boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The state inquiry “must be objective, it needs to investigate all of us, those who make decisions and those who carry them out, the government, the military, and the security agencies”, he was quoted by Reuters as saying at a graduation ceremony for new military officers.
The event was also attended by Netanyahu, whose coalition government is already strained by infighting.
Netanyahu has dismissed past calls to form a state inquiry into the attack that sparked the war in Gaza, saying that examinations into what happened should be carried out once the conflict ends.
Israeli army releases first inquiry into October 7 events
The Israeli army says it has released its first inquiry into the events of October 7, in which it acknowledged a string of failures in its mission to protect the country’s civilians.
However, it dismissed accusations that Israeli captives held in a home were struck by tank fire, saying they were instead likely killed by Hamas fighters. Survivors said that during a standoff in Kibbutz Be’eri an Israeli tank fired at a home where captives were held. A report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has found that the Israeli army deployed its Hannibal Directive during the October 7 attack, which allows the military to use all necessary force to prevent the capture of soldiers, even if that force results in the loss of civilian and military lives.
Responding to the inquiry, opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman was quoted by Israeli media as saying that the findings show that “there’s no other choice” but to appoint a state commission of inquiry.
Army ‘failed to protect’ kibbutz residents: Israeli spokesperson
There’s more on the Israeli army’s inquiry into the events of October 7, as we have further details from army spokesperson Daniel Hagari’s press conference presenting the probe.
Hagari said that the Israeli army had failed to confront thousands of Hamas and other Palestinian fighters who launched the attack, and in particular had failed to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, which saw some of the heaviest fighting.
“The fighters of Kibbutz Be’eri were alone for the first seven hours,” Hagari said, adding that “major mistakes” occurred.
