Investigative panel appointed by IDF chief finds most of army’s Oct. 7 probes inadequate

Most of the Israel Defense Force’s top-tier investigations into its failures on and ahead of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught are inadequate, with some considered to be unacceptable, a panel of former senior military officers determined.

The IDF’s October 7 investigations were led by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi. In one of his first decisions upon entering the role in March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir appointed the external panel to further examine those probes. The panel was tasked with evaluating the IDF’s top-level investigations, overseeing implementation of findings, and recommending repeat investigations or additions to probes if necessary.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, a former head of the Southern Command, headed the panel, which included ex-Navy chief Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit, ex-IAF chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Amikam Norkin, and other retired senior officers.

In total, the panel reviewed 24 General Staff-level investigations, along with one tactical investigation — the attack on the Nova music festival, due to its massive scope and context for the top-tier probes.

Of the 24 top-tier investigations, Turgeman’s team found 10 to be “green,” meaning they were “professional, comprehensive, and enable learning and progress.” The findings of these investigations are set to be implemented in the IDF.

Nine of the General Staff-level probes, along with the Nova festival investigation, were classified as “orange,” meaning they “provide a solid factual foundation, but do not identify the points of failure or the necessary changes.” These investigations require various additions before their findings can be implemented in the military.

And the last five were classified as “red,” meaning “unsatisfactory.”

For example, the IDF’s strategy vis-à-vis Gaza and the Operations Division’s investigations were listed as “red” because the commanders who led those probes were not suited for the job, according to Turgeman’s team. In both cases, the officers who led the investigations were relatively junior, and therefore the panel found the probes to be unprofessional.

The probe into the decision-making process on the night between October 6 and 7 was also not considered up to the standards of a military investigation. However, in contrast, the probe that looked into the intelligence on the eve of October 7, was listed as “green.”

While the Navy’s investigation provided an accurate and detailed account of what happened on the morning of October 7, it was listed as “red” because it had no conclusions that could be implemented, Turgeman’s team found.