Israel's Military Chief Calls for Systemic Probe into Hamas Attack
A 'systemic investigation' is needed to understand the failures leading up to Hamas's October 2023 attack, according to Israel's military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir of Israel's military has called for a "systematic investigation" into the events that led to Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
This call comes as the Israeli government resists establishing a state commission of inquiry regarding the matter.Zamir's request follows the release of an expert committee report, which he believes marks the culmination of internal military investigations concerning the attacks.
According to Zamir, this report is a significant step towards gaining a broader understanding of the issue; however, he emphasizes that a more comprehensive investigation involving inter-organizational and hierarchical interfaces is necessary to prevent future failures.Public opinion polls indicate widespread support among Israelis from various political backgrounds for the establishment of an inquiry commission aimed at identifying those responsible for the government's inability to thwart the attack, which constitutes the deadliest in Israel's history.
Nonetheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government has yet to establish such a commission.
The government contends that setting up an inquiry before the conclusion of the war in Gaza is not feasible.Under Israeli law, the creation of a national commission rests with the government; however, its members are appointed by the Supreme Court.
Netanyahu's government accuses the court of political partiality and left-leaning tendencies, a stance rooted in the contentious judicial reform agenda that deeply divided Israeli society before the war began.Netanyahu has suggested creating an inquiry commission based on a broad national consensus akin to what occurred after the September 11 attacks in the United States.
The opposition parties have rejected this proposal outright.The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 individuals on the Israeli side, primarily civilians, according to an analysis by AFP based on official Israeli figures.
This incident triggered a two-year Israeli military campaign against Gaza that has thus far claimed at least 69,179 Palestinian lives, per the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.The expert committee's report acknowledges that Hamas' attack took place despite high-quality intelligence already available to various IDF units.
It was noted that even with warnings, necessary military actions were not taken to enhance readiness or adjust force deployments across different sectors.
The committee concluded that most factors contributing to the failure spanned several years and involved multiple branches of the military, indicating a "long-standing systemic and organizational failure".
An internal Israeli military investigation conducted in February concurred, stating there was a "complete failure" to anticipate the assault due to underestimating Hamas' capabilities.
This call comes as the Israeli government resists establishing a state commission of inquiry regarding the matter.Zamir's request follows the release of an expert committee report, which he believes marks the culmination of internal military investigations concerning the attacks.
According to Zamir, this report is a significant step towards gaining a broader understanding of the issue; however, he emphasizes that a more comprehensive investigation involving inter-organizational and hierarchical interfaces is necessary to prevent future failures.Public opinion polls indicate widespread support among Israelis from various political backgrounds for the establishment of an inquiry commission aimed at identifying those responsible for the government's inability to thwart the attack, which constitutes the deadliest in Israel's history.
Nonetheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government has yet to establish such a commission.
The government contends that setting up an inquiry before the conclusion of the war in Gaza is not feasible.Under Israeli law, the creation of a national commission rests with the government; however, its members are appointed by the Supreme Court.
Netanyahu's government accuses the court of political partiality and left-leaning tendencies, a stance rooted in the contentious judicial reform agenda that deeply divided Israeli society before the war began.Netanyahu has suggested creating an inquiry commission based on a broad national consensus akin to what occurred after the September 11 attacks in the United States.
The opposition parties have rejected this proposal outright.The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 individuals on the Israeli side, primarily civilians, according to an analysis by AFP based on official Israeli figures.
This incident triggered a two-year Israeli military campaign against Gaza that has thus far claimed at least 69,179 Palestinian lives, per the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.The expert committee's report acknowledges that Hamas' attack took place despite high-quality intelligence already available to various IDF units.
It was noted that even with warnings, necessary military actions were not taken to enhance readiness or adjust force deployments across different sectors.
The committee concluded that most factors contributing to the failure spanned several years and involved multiple branches of the military, indicating a "long-standing systemic and organizational failure".
An internal Israeli military investigation conducted in February concurred, stating there was a "complete failure" to anticipate the assault due to underestimating Hamas' capabilities.