Unlike predecessor, IDF chief Zamir said on board with comptroller’s Oct. 7 probe
In shift from Halevi, who clashed with ombudsman, Zamir reportedly may not believe a state commission of inquiry is needed into October 7, thinks Englman’s probe may be enough
New Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has okayed the transfer of sensitive documents related to the army’s failure to prevent Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, to the State Comptroller’s Office, marking a sharp shift from his predecessor, a report said Thursday.
According to the Haaretz daily, the documents had been intended for use by an eventual state commission of inquiry, which many have demanded be formed to probe all aspects of Israel’s failures surrounding the surprise Hamas assault — but the government has refused to appoint one while the war is ongoing and is campaigning against having one at all.
Former IDF chief Herzi Halevi had avoided cooperating with the ombudsman, also citing the ongoing war, and said in his farewell speech last week that a state commission was “necessary and vital.”
Despite polls consistently showing a substantial majority of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to be established, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have claimed such a probe wouldn’t enjoy sufficient public trust since members of the commission would be appointed by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, who is regarded by the government as an adversary. They also say such a commission should only be set up after the war is concluded.
A source familiar with Zamir’s thinking was quoted by Haaretz as saying that “he is ambivalent toward [a state commission of inquiry] and it seems that from his perspective, the comptroller’s probe can suffice.”
The report claimed that Zamir and State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman had met several times in recent days and agreed to a probe by the ombudsman that would cover the army’s conduct leading up to the attack and also look into the intelligence and operations branches, as well as the army’s Southern Command.
Critics say a fully independent state commission is required to delve into a catastrophe of the magnitude of October 7, the ensuing war and the crisis over 251 hostages who were abducted during the attack, but political leaders with the power to appoint one are thought to fear being blamed as part of its conclusions.
Englman announced in December 2023 the launch of a broad investigation into “multi-system failures” before, during and after October 7. The IDF has been strongly resistant to his probe, claiming that it would divert the attention of senior commanders from prosecuting the then-active wars with Hamas and Hezbollah.
The army recently began publishing the extensive results of internal probes it conducted. Within hours of taking on his new role, Zamir made a series of dramatic decisions, including appointing an external panel of experts to reevaluate the military’s probes into the Hamas onslaught.
Englman has criticized the IDF’s investigations as lacking credibility due to a lack of independence. Hours before the military published its probes of October 7, Englman sharply criticized Halevi and the head of the Shin Bet intelligence service, Ronen Bar, for what he said were their ongoing efforts to block his investigation into Hamas’s attack.
Englman said he could not properly conduct a review into the military’s role in the apparent failings without the cooperation of the IDF and the Shin Bet, and called on the attorney general to order those agencies to cooperate with his investigation.
In January this year, Englman accused the military of “intimidating” senior officers giving testimony to his staff, which he said was part of the IDF’s efforts to stop “the truth from being disclosed.”
In June 2024, the High Court issued an interim injunction against Englman, ordering him to suspend the aspects of his investigation involving the IDF and Shin Bet. However, the High Court expressed frustration with the security services during a hearing on the issue in November and warned the IDF and Shin Bet that it could retract the interim order.
The comptroller’s probe into the events of October 7 is currently the only state-sanctioned comprehensive investigation into the attack, during which some 1,200 people were massacred by terrorists from Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in southern Israel, and 251 people taken hostage.
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 devastating October 7 onslaught.
