At ceremony, bereaved father calls for Oct. 7 state inquiry – to audience applause

At the bereaved families ceremony, Rafi Ben Shitrit, whose son Staff Sgt. Shimon Alroy Ben Shitrit was killed on October 7 while attempting to fend off Hamas terrorists in southern Israel, calls for a state commission of inquiry into the disaster.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls for such a probe, saying any investigations should wait for the end of the war. Critics say he is attempting to limit the scope of a probe, fearing it will reflect poorly on him.

“The legacy of the fallen, among them Alroy, in these terrible days, demands that we conduct national soul-searching. The beginning of healing comes with acceptance of responsibility,” he says.

“My beloved son and other heroic soldiers took responsibility, sacrificed themselves and gave their lives. From the depths of the pained heart, out of love and concern for this country, and not for any political reason, I call from this stage for the formation of a state commission of inquiry, to investigate deeply and extensively the disaster of October 7,” he says.

The audience, which has been totally silent throughout the ceremony, erupts in applause to this.

“In the name of my son who is gone, I ask that we be worthy, that we be together,” he says.