Israeli Military to Begin Probe of Oct. 7 Failures

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2024 (TPS) -- The Israel Defense Forces has formed a panel to investigate the military’s failures on Oct. 7 and the period leading up to it, the IDF announced on Friday.

Members of the team selected by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi include former chief of staff Shaul Mofaz, former Military Intelligence Directorate head Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash, former Southern Command leader Sami Turgeman and former Operations Directorate chief Yoav Har-Even.

The inquiry will investigate the IDF General Staff, military intelligence, the failures of the Gaza border defenses and general operational matters.

The inquiry’s mandate does not include decisions made by the political echelon.

An independent commission of inquiry with a broader mandate including political failures is expected to take place after the war.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 129. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.