Katz meets Zamir, appears to fold on demand for new IDF probes into Oct. 7

In an apparent sign of thawing ties with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Defense Minister Israel Katz seemed to backtrack on Wednesday from his order that a review of the military’s internal probes into the failures on October 7, 2023, be re-investigated.

Katz said he met with Zamir on Tuesday, and they agreed to merge the military’s “supplementary investigations” for the initial probes with the minister’s effort to have the defense establishment comptroller conduct a new review.

Last month, Zamir received the findings of an external review of the IDF’s internal October 7 probes led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, who found that some of the initial investigations by the military were inadequate and that several topics that were not investigated at all.

Zamir then instructed various IDF units to complete their investigations, and appointed former officers to investigate topics that were not previously probed, chief among them the military’s failed handling of intelligence reports that outlined Hamas’s intent to launch a wide-scale attack against Israel.

Clashing with Zamir last month, Katz ordered the defense establishment comptroller to investigate Turgeman’s review of the internal October 7 probes within 30 days, and said he was freezing all senior promotions in the military until then.

However, in a statement announcing his Wednesday meeting with Zamir, the defense minister said that instead of conducting a full review, Defense Establishment Comptroller Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Volansky would only be “an observer” in the IDF’s investigation into the intelligence reports of Hamas’s attack plan, codenamed in the army “Jericho’s Walls.”

Katz said the comptroller would also be updated on the other investigations ordered by Zamir to be completed, after their initial probes were deemed inadequate, including in the Operations Directorate and the Israeli Navy.

Additionally, Katz said the comptroller would review the Israeli Air Force’s October 7 investigation and the findings of Turgeman’s team regarding Brig. Gen. Omer Tischler, who served as chief of staff at the IAF on October 7, as Zamir seeks to promote Tischler to IAF commander.

In another sign of thawing ties between the two top defense officials, on Monday Katz met with Zamir and approved the IDF chief’s list of promotions in the military, undoing the earlier freeze.

Katz said that he had approved the entire list, except for the promotion of Col. (res.) German Giltman, who already said he was withdrawing his candidacy.

Giltman, who retired from the IDF in 2022, was set to be promoted to brigadier general and return to the military to serve in a senior role in the Ground Forces. Katz said he wouldn’t approve the promotion, citing Giltman’s apparent involvement in the Brothers in Arms anti-government protest group.

A senior IDF officer said the conversation between Zamir and Katz was “businesslike” and was held in “a good atmosphere.”

“We continue forward, the security of the country above all else,” the officer said in a statement to reporters.

The list of promotions announced by Zamir and approved by Katz included another officer promoted to brigadier general and 28 promoted to colonel, as well as one brigadier general and nine colonels who are moving to new positions at the same rank.