Internal IDF report confirms intelligence was in hand but not acted upon, fueling public and political demands for accountability that the Prime Minister calls a “political tool.”
JERUSALEM – Israel’s top general has called for a sweeping, cross-governmental investigation into the catastrophic security lapses that allowed the October 7 Hamas attack to occur, exposing a deepening rift with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which continues to block an independent state inquiry.
The demand from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir came as the military published the conclusions of its own internal expert committee. The report starkly acknowledged that “high-quality and exceptional intelligence” was in the possession of various army units before the attack, but the necessary steps to thwart it were not taken.
“The expert committee’s report… is a significant step,” Zamir stated. “However… a broad and comprehensive systemic investigation is now necessary.” This push for a wider probe places direct pressure on the political leadership, which holds the sole authority to establish a national commission of inquiry.
Political Battle Over Accountability
The military’s admission of “long-standing systemic and organizational failure” has intensified public demand for a full accounting. Polls show most Israelis, across political divides, support a state inquiry to assign responsibility for the pre-war failures.
However, the Netanyahu government has refused to establish one, arguing it would hamper the ongoing war effort. The issue has become a flashpoint in Israel’s domestic politics. On Monday, Netanyahu dismissed the opposition’s calls for an inquiry, labeling it a desire for a “political tool.”
His counterproposal for a consensus-based model, similar to the U.S. post-9/11 commission, was swiftly rejected by his political rivals. The stalemate is further complicated by the government’s fraught relationship with the Supreme Court, which by law would appoint the inquiry members—a body the coalition has long accused of political bias.
Report Confirms Intelligence Breakdown
The military’s internal findings confirm a severe breakdown between intelligence and action. The committee determined that the failures were not isolated but spanned multiple years and branches of the IDF, leading to a lack of readiness and force deployment despite the warnings.
This report follows a February investigation that had already termed the military’s performance a “complete failure.” The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, primarily civilians, and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, which has claimed over 69,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
