October 7 survivors, families to organize civilian inquiry into massacre – report
Unofficial probe aims to publish findings by first anniversary of attack; government yet to launch state commission of inquiry, despite calls for accountability
Survivors of the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre are organizing a civil investigative committee to probe the government’s failures on the day of the attack, according to a Saturday report.
Bereaved families and wounded soldiers will also participate in the inquiry, which plans to gather testimony about that day, on which thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, and sparking the ongoing war between Israel and the terror group.
The panel will be formed on Wednesday, and will be made up of former senior officials in the defense establishment and judiciary, former mayors of northern and southern communities, and a former top police officer, Channel 12 reported.
According to the report, the commission intends to publish its findings on the first anniversary of the massacre in October, after meeting some three times a week between now and then to gather testimony.
Channel 12 described the establishment of the commission as an “act of protest” against the government, which has not launched a state commission of inquiry despite mounting pressure and though the military has conducted internal investigations.
The government says a state commission of inquiry — a formal, nonpolitical process chaired by judges selected by the president of the Supreme Court — is required, but only after the war is over.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman announced a wide-ranging probe in December, but the military and the State Attorney’s Office opposed the effort, and good-governance watchdog groups said it was beyond the comptroller’s purview.
In June, the High Court of Justice ordered Englman to suspend his investigation, citing security concerns. The court will hold a hearing on the matter this month.
National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz called for a state commission of inquiry in May, while he was serving as a minister-without-portfolio in the war cabinet. Gantz left the government a few weeks later.
In June, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara implored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop blocking the launch of a state commission of inquiry, citing the threat of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court.
The ICC, which has indicated it might issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, must stand down when faced with a domestic judiciary that is willing and able to investigate such figures itself.
Last month, the High Court of Justice ordered the government to explain why it hasn’t yet set up a state commission of inquiry, giving the state a July 28 deadline to respond.
