Over 200 October 7 Hostages Demand State Inquiry, Urge Netanyahu to Face the Truth
Over 200 people directly affected by the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught have issued a forceful appeal to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, urging him to approve the creation of an official state commission of inquiry to investigate the catastrophic failures surrounding the attack. The signatories include former captives, relatives of those who were held hostage, and families of hostages who were killed.
The appeal was released publicly by the October Council, a group formed by bereaved families pressing for a formal state investigation. The publication of the letter coincides with the 800th day since the Hamas-led invasion and massacre that devastated southern Israel.
“We call on the Israeli government to stop evading, stop postponing, stop whitewashing, and establish a state commission of inquiry immediately,” the letter declares.
The message goes on to warn the country’s leadership in stark terms: “We demand truth, justice, and accountability.” It adds, “If you have no intention of taking responsibility and establishing such a commission, as demanded by the majority of the nation, vacate your seats and let the nation decide.”
According to the signatories, any inquiry must be fully open and comprehensive, addressing every aspect of October 7. They insist it scrutinize “the collapse of the defense and intelligence systems, the unanswered calls for help, the hours-long abandonment of the Gaza border communities, and the abandonment of the civilians and soldiers to the inferno.”
The families also stress that the investigation cannot stop at the day of the attack itself. They argue that it must delve into developments afterward as well, including “what has happened since October 7: The manner in which decisions were made during negotiations for the return of the hostages, the reasons for repeated delays, the coordination between the political and military echelons, and the statements and actions of all public officials and their impact on the lives of the hostages, on their mental and physical health, the fate of those who were taken alive and were murdered in captivity, and the long wait for the return of the deceased hostages to their families.”
The letter emphasizes that the proposed body must be independent and free of conflicts of interest. “A commission of inquiry is not a political tool. It cannot be composed of those who are the subjects of the investigation,” the authors write. They further insist that such a panel “must be transparent, professional, and have full authority to order investigations, question witnesses, examine documents, and reach clear conclusions, including the mandate to implement them.”
The authors underscore why they see no alternative to such a framework, stating: “Only such a body will be able to reach the full truth, not just that which is convenient to reveal.”
Among those who signed the letter are former hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife Shiri and young sons Ariel and Kfir were murdered while held captive; Herut Nimrodi, the mother of slain hostage Tamir Nimrodi; and Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was killed after being taken hostage.
{Matzav.com}
