Zamir: IDF ‘failed in its mission’ on Oct. 7, will keep investigating ‘that day and the entire war’

In a letter to troops marking the Hebrew anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught in southern Israel, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir mourns those murdered in the attack and troops killed fighting in the subsequent war, while hailing the military’s accomplishments over the past two years.

Zamir credits the efforts of Israeli soldiers in helping secure the release of the last living hostages and some of the remaining slain captives as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas, while vowing “we will not remain silent until we brink back all the fallen for a proper burial.”

The military chief says that on the day of the Hamas-led atrocities, “the Israel Defense Forces failed in its mission to protect the country and its citizens.”

“The correction will come from within, from us. We don’t have the power to change what was, but we do have the power to grow, as individuals and an army, to take responsibility and to learn from the past in order to fortify our security for generations,” Zamir says.

He adds: “We are investigating and will continue to investigate that day and the entire war — truthfully, transparently and professionally. We owe this to the hostages, the murdered and the fallen, to the wounded and the entire State of Israel.”