State comptroller accuses IDF of not cooperating with Oct. 7 investigation

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman sent a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir yesterday to complain about what he said was the army’s failure to cooperate with his investigation into the failures leading up to and on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists perpetrated a massacre in southern Israel, Englman’s spokesperson confirms.

Englman has long complained that the IDF has failed to cooperate with his investigation, and the army has indeed resisted the probe, claiming it would interfere with its prosecution of the war.

In his letter to Zamir, Englman objected to what he said was the IDF’s failure to cooperate with his investigation, including difficulties his office has had obtaining relevant documentation from the army, and senior military officers who have not made themselves available for meetings with State Comptroller officials.

Englman said the IDF’s actions are in violation of an agreement reached with the State Comptroller’s Office under the auspices of the High Court of Justice in November 2024.

Earlier this week, the director general of the State Comptroller’s Office, Yishai Vaknin, made similar comments, saying that the investigation was not proceeding at the pace and in the manner agreed via the High Court.

Critics of the government, including members of the opposition and several government watchdog groups, have expressed concern that the probe by Englman, who has no legal background and was appointed to his position under a Netanyahu-led government, could seek to minimize political responsibility for the October 7 onslaught.