Netanyahu to face Knesset debate on inquiry into October 7 failures

Netanyahu has resisted calls for a formal state commission of inquiry, calling it “politically biased.”

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend a 40-signature debate in the Knesset Monday to address calls for a state commission of inquiry into the government’s handling of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault.

“Seven hundred sixty-five days since the outbreak of the October Seven War, the Israeli government refuses to establish a state investigation committee that will provide answers to the bereaved families who lost what was most precious to them. We will not stop fighting for them,” said the opposition party Yesh Atid in a statement. The party, led by former prime minister Yair Lapid, spearheaded the debate.

Once a month, the opposition can debate government policy and performance with the signatures of 40 Knesset members. The prime minister is obligated to attend, forcing him to directly engage the opposition.

“Two years after the national disaster of October 7, the government is still avoiding establishing a state commission of inquiry. With the end of the war, there are no more excuses—it is imperative to hold an independent and impartial inquiry that will examine the failures and restore public trust,” opposition leaders wrote in a letter to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

The Knesset’s last 40-signature debate, in October, also addressed the government’s refusal to convene a commission of inquiry.

Netanyahu has resisted calls for a formal state commission of inquiry, calling it “politically biased.”

Critics accuse him of delaying and weakening the probe.

Such commissions, led by senior Supreme Court justices, can summon witnesses, collect evidence, and make recommendations, though the government is not required to follow them.

Israel’s last commission, investigating a Mount Meron stampede that killed 45, held Netanyahu personally responsible in 2024.

Israel’s High Court of Justice gave the government a deadline of November 14 to explain “what the fate” of such a commission of inquiry will be.

The Israel Defense Forces has released a series of detailed internal probes examining how roughly 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were able to storm Israeli communities and overrun military positions.

The reports reveal that the army’s chain of command collapsed amid the chaos as soldiers found themselves vastly outnumbered.

Investigators concluded that the IDF misread Hamas’s intentions and misinterpreted intelligence warnings in the days leading up to October 7, while much of the military’s attention remained directed toward potential threats from Iran and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The IDF probes only address issues of operations, intelligence, and command—not decisions made by the political echelon.