Bereaved families demand Knesset halt discussions on October 7 political probe amid war

By Ariela Karmel

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15 March 2026, 4:33 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Illustrative: MK Simcha Rothman leads a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, January 19, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Bereaved families of those killed during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, demand that Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana halt discussing legislation to establish a politically appointed panel to probe the failures of the attacks amid Israel’s ongoing war with Iran and its terror proxy Hezbollah.

The legislation is set to be discussed in the Knesset tomorrow and on Wednesday by the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

“We demand that you immediately cancel the discussion on establishing the political commission of inquiry. If you choose to ignore this demand and continue advancing the legislation during wartime, the responsibility for the consequences will be yours,” writes the October Council, representing hundreds of bereaved family members, in a letter addressed to Ohana and MK Simcha Rothman, who chairs the committee.

“We will block the entrances to the Knesset. We will block the exits of the homes of those promoting this law. Even under Iranian missiles, we will stand outside and protest,” the letter continues. “We have nothing left to lose. We have already lost what was most precious to us.”

The Council accuses the coalition of “exploiting” the current war with Iran to advance the controversial legislation “at a time when the State of Israel is once again under fire, when civilians are running from one siren to the next to their safe rooms, and when IDF soldiers are fighting in Gaza, in Lebanon and on the front against Iran.”

“This is not how a democracy operates. The Knesset is the house of the people. It cannot become a place where decisions are made in the shadows during wartime,” the letter continues.

Parliamentary activity was severely curtailed following the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28 and was initially limited to discussions of legislation linked to the 2026 state budget and the war itself. However, on Thursday, Ohana’s office announced plans to increase the amount of activity at the Knesset, including advancing Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s bill to set up a politically appointed probe instead of an independent state commission of inquiry.