From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 24, 2025
Katz asks to meet dismissed senior officer involved in Oct 7. probe; IDF: He’s under investigation for ‘severe’ security violations
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he seeks to meet a senior reservist IDF officer who was responsible for the Gaza Division’s October 7 probe, after he was booted from reserve duty and is currently being investigated by the Military Police.
“I instructed Brig. Gen. (res.) Oren Solomon to be summoned to me as soon as possible so that he can present me with the investigation he conducted into October 7, which I have not yet seen,” says Katz in a statement.
Solomon’s investigation, which has not yet been made public, reportedly found fault in the higher echelons of the military. Many other IDF probes have come to similar conclusions.
Channel 12 news reported last week that Solomon, a member of the hawkish HaBithonistim group, told those close to him that he believes it is because he found fault in IDF’s top command he was removed from reserve duty.
“The fact that Brig. Gen. Solomon, who carried out with permission and authority an investigation… that criticized the senior IDF echelon, is called in for interrogation, is puzzling. I intend to ask the chief of staff to examine the conduct of the Military Advocate General,” Katz says.
Katz adds that “it cannot be perceived that Military Police investigations are a tool for silencing internal criticism in the IDF.”
The army responds to the incident, saying that Solomon was not arrested, but a Military Police investigation was opened into “severe operational security violations” by the officer.
The IDF says that after an initial examination of the findings, Solomon was called in for questioning, to which he showed up.
“The investigation is in its early stages and it is not possible to comment on the actions taken,” the military adds.
The army said last week that Solomon worked on the probe for a year with full support, that the end of his reserve duty is unrelated to the probe, which is still going on.
It added that the probe will be presented to the relevant communities and the public when finished, as all probes are.
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