Nearly three months after the events, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Hertzi Halevi, has decided to form a security team to begin an investigation into the security, military, and intelligence failures of the October 7, 2023 events.
The investigation team includes several former security officials, among them: former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, who will head the team. The team also comprises the previous head of Military Intelligence Zeevi Farkash, and the former commander of the Army's Southern Command, Sami Turgeman. Each of the three will oversee investigations in their respective fields.
Israeli media reported that the investigations would also cover the conduct of military operations during the war on Gaza.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza launched "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" in response to the continuous aggressions by the Israeli army and settlers against the Palestinian people, their property, and holy sites, especially at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces widespread criticism within Israeli circles due to the failure to predict this attack, during which the Palestinian resistance managed to attack settlements and military sites around Gaza, killing a number of occupation soldiers and capturing about 250 Israelis.
In response to the attack, the Israeli army launched a devastating war on Gaza, which—as of last Thursday—resulted in 22,438 martyrs and 57,614 injured, many of whom were children and women. There was also tremendous destruction to infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, according to the authorities of the sector and the United Nations.
In the same context, the Israeli Walla news website reported that a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet ended following sharp disputes between the Chief of Staff and the ministers due to the formation of a team to investigate the events of the past October 7.
The site noted that the session witnessed severe clashes and shouting, prompting Prime Minister Netanyahu to halt it. The website added that ministers in the cabinet attacked Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi for appointing Shaul Mofaz, who oversaw the withdrawal plan from Gaza, to head the investigation team.
Meanwhile, Israeli radio reported that military officials left the cabinet meeting after the ministers' attack on the Chief of Staff.
