Netanyahu: Israel needs ‘special’ state commission of inquiry, but only after war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel needs to establish a “special state commission of inquiry” to probe the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror assault, but only after the war in Gaza is over.

“We need to do that,” says Netanyahu in a question-and-answer-style video posted on his X account, referring to the need for a state commission of inquiry, adding that “We said from the beginning that we’d do it at the end of the war.”

מעדכן אתכם גם היום בלי הפילטרים של התקשורת >>

תרשמו לי את השאלות שלכם למטה. pic.twitter.com/b1c0XZFSI8

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 5, 2025

“I’ve heard the legal advice saying that ‘the war is over,'” continues Netanyahu, but he asserts that “we are on the eve of a major entry into Gaza. That is the recommendation of the General Staff. Their recommendation — not mine…I recommend the same thing. But they came to it independently and said so.”

He says the defeat of Hamas is “what needs to be done now. Afterward, we’ll investigate. And it must be investigated — all levels of leadership.”

“In order for this to work, it needs to be a committee that is acceptable to the entire public — a special state commission of inquiry that truly reflects the different viewpoints in society and gives them expression. And that way — it’s the only way — the findings will be accepted by the public, as broadly and consensually as possible,” the premier says.

His message comes after the government reportedly decided earlier today to seek to establish a “special” commission to probe the October 7 onslaught, but refused a call from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for an official state commission of inquiry, which would have the broadest powers.