In recent days, a growing number of officials within the IDF top brass have called for an immediate inquiry into the lapses on Oct. 7 and its immediate aftermath.
According to many field commanders in the IDF – mainly at the Lt. Col., Col. and Brig. Gen. levels – now that nearly four months of fighting have passed and the army has significantly thinned out the forces operating in the strip, the time is ripe to begin investigating and even making tough decisions before the military has to face more intense fighting on the northern front.
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One of the commanders of the fighting units who spoke with Israel Hayom in recent days noted that discussion on the issue is prevalent among many in the army, in various units and dispositions. Among other things, the commander said: "Throughout my over 20 years of service in the IDF, our DNA has been to thoroughly and profoundly investigate every incident. First of all to understand what happened, then to understand why it happened to us, and finally to think about what needs to be done to improve going forward."
According to the officer, "At the beginning of the war, when it was still unclear what was going on, it was right to wait with the investigation. But the waiting period should have ended a few weeks ago when the IDF began a significant force reduction and released reservists. Unfortunately, we are getting the feeling from the commanders above us that the current situation is 'comfortable' for them, as the war has entered a kind of routine."
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He added, "The problem is that this routine is based on previous and familiar paradigms, and not out-of-the-box thinking, in order to adapt the army to the post-October 7 reality. This investigation will not be comfortable or easy for anyone, but unfortunately, by not conducting the investigation, we are preventing the necessary conclusions from being drawn going forward. When you don't investigate, it is very difficult to get out of the previous concepts, and even the concepts that led us to the current situation."
Another senior officer told Israel Hayom, "If someone thought the war would end next month, then maybe we could still wait. But that is not the situation."
Proponents of this approach argue that it is not worth waiting any longer to investigate, since according to the orders received by the various IDF units on land, air, and sea, the army is preparing for the possibility of a war between Israel and Hezbollah if no other way is found to return the residents of the northern border to their homes and keep Hezbollah terrorists away from the fence.
Among the field ranks it is believed that it is proper and appropriate to start investigating before the war in the north, among other things in order to draw lessons from the fighting in Gaza, and integrate them in an orderly manner into force build-up, operational plans and force training for the war in the north.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the one who needs to decide when to start the investigation. He believes that now is still not the right time to start investigations, as the army is still engaged in intense fighting in Khan Younis, with no less than five brigades under the 98th Division.
Lt. Gen. Halevi believes that as long as stage B of the fighting in Khan Yunis has not ended, the attention of the commanders of the Southern Command must be focused primarily on the war, and not on investigations. And since the Southern Command is a very central part of the probe, the other bodies cannot start investigating without it either. However, the assessment is that in the coming weeks, the chief of staff will decide to start investigating.
Lt. Gen. Halevi has previously publicly addressed the issue of investigations, saying at the end of December, among other things, that "the many days that have passed since October 7 raise many difficult questions - we are committed to providing answers to all of them, and we will provide them after an in-depth investigation. We will not skip any question or lesson."
Some of the senior commanders we spoke with in recent days went even further, arguing that it was time for the top military brass to fulfill the responsibility they have taken upon themselves publicly, even if the war in Gaza has not yet ended, and despite the possibility that a war in the north may break out in the coming weeks or months.
According to those officials, even if the resignation letters of senior military officials are submitted tomorrow morning, there is still enough time until the resignations take effect and until replacements are appointed and proper handovers take place.
Although the Chief of Staff has not yet made a decision to start internal investigations, he has floated the names of former senior officials he would like to head the investigation teams. Among others, he turned to Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even, former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Aharon Ze'evi Farkash. After receiving criticism from cabinet members, Halevi halted the process.
It should also be noted that two weeks ago the chief of staff informed the State Comptroller's Office that he would like to postpone the latter's audit. The comptroller did not accept this.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit responded to Israel Hayom's revelations with the following statement: "The IDF investigation process will begin in the coming weeks, as soon as the intensity of the war allows it. The IDF and its commanders are currently focused on the war and activities serving it."
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