External panel that reviewed IDF’s Oct. 7 probes to present findings to army chief

After months of work, an external panel of former senior officers that was tasked with evaluating the military’s probes into Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught is set to present its findings to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir tomorrow.

The IDF’s October 7 investigations were led by former chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. Upon entering the role earlier this year, Zamir said he would appoint an external panel to further examine those probes.

The panel is headed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, a former head of the Southern Command. It was tasked with evaluating the IDF’s investigations, overseeing implementation of findings, and recommending repeat investigations if necessary.

After Zamir is presented with the findings tomorrow, they will also be presented to the rest of the IDF General Staff on Friday, according to military sources. Zamir will then need to decide on “personal decisions” regarding some senior officers based on the findings, including the current chief of the Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, who on October 7 headed the Operations Division. Binder’s appointment to the role was considered controversial and was met with protests from some lawmakers and the families of some fallen soldiers.

The Haaretz daily reports that Turgeman’s panel is expected to determine that Binder can continue in his current role. However, during the next round of senior appointments, it will be noted that he has responsibility for the failures on October 7, which will affect any decision about whether to promote him, the report says.