Over 200 ex-hostages, bereaved families sign letter demanding state probe into Oct. 7

More than 200 ex-hostages, relatives of former hostages, and family members of deceased hostages have signed a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that he authorize the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, assault.

The letter is published by the October Council, a movement comprised of bereaved families demanding a state probe, on the 800th day since the Hamas-led invasion and massacre.

“We call on the Israeli government to stop evading, stop postponing, stop whitewashing, and establish a state commission of inquiry immediately,” the letter demands.

“We demand truth, justice, and accountability,” it continues. “If you have no intention of taking responsibility and establishing such a commission, as demanded by the majority of the nation, vacate your seats and let the nation decide.”

The signees state in the letter that they are demanding a transparent probe that examines every event of October 7, including “the collapse of the defense and intelligence systems, the unanswered calls for help, the hours-long abandonment of the Gaza border communities, and the abandonment of the civilians and soldiers to the inferno.”

In addition, they say the probe must also examine “what has happened since October 7: The manner in which decisions were made during negotiations for the return of the hostages, the reasons for repeated delays, the coordination between the political and military echelons, and the statements and actions of all public officials and their impact on the lives of the hostages, on their mental and physical health, the fate of those who were taken alive and were murdered in captivity, and the long wait for the return of the deceased hostages to their families.”

“A commission of inquiry is not a political tool. It cannot be composed of those who are the subjects of the investigation,” the letter states. “It must be transparent, professional, and have full authority to order investigations, question witnesses, examine documents, and reach clear conclusions, including the mandate to implement them.”

“Only such a body will be able to reach the full truth, not just that which is convenient to reveal.”

Among the letter’s signees are ex-hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife Shiri and children Ariel and Kfir were murdered in captivity; Herut Nimrodi, the mother of slain hostage Tamir Nimrodi; and Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.