Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has called for a state inquiry into the security failings of the October 7 attack.
He said the probe should investigate Gallant himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has dismissed past calls to form a state inquiry.
The Israeli military has published the conclusions of during the devastating Hamas attack, acknowledging it had not protected the citizens of one of the worst-hit communities, Kibbutz Be’eri.
More than 100 people were killed in the attack on Be’eri, a community of about 1,000 people, and 32 taken hostage to the Gaza Strip, 11 of whom are still there — although their condition is not known.
The probe examined the day’s chain of events, fighting and security forces’ conduct, the military said.
Some of the details have already been revealed by other media in the weeks after the attack.
While acknowledging its own failure in protecting the kibbutz civilians, the military hailed the bravery of Be’eri residents including its rapid response team, who despite being vastly outnumbered tried to repel the militants who invaded.
Israel’s military was unprepared for the scenario of a massive infiltration of militants into Israel, had inadequate forces in the area, did not have a clear picture of the events until noon – a few hours after the attack began – and did not properly alert Be’eri’s residents, and its fighting was also uncoordinated, the investigation report said.
The probe, however, did not find fault in tank fire toward a house where militants were holding 15 people hostage, an incident that has drawn criticism in Israel for having put civilians in harm’s way.
“After shooting was heard from the house and the terrorists announced their intent to kill themselves and the hostages, the forces decided to storm it in order to save the hostages,” the military’s summary said.
“The team found that the civilians inside the house were not hurt by the tank shells,” the summary said, however, further investigation is needed to determine how hostages inside died, with signs pointing to them having been killed by the gunmen.
The military presented its report to Be’eri’s residents, many of whom are among the tens of thousands of Israelis still displaced since the October attack, which precipitated Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
“I didn’t need all these details,” said Miri Gad Mesika, a kibbutz member.
“What matters to me is why what happened happened, how we can prevent it from happening again, how we can bring back our hostages and how we can feel secure again.”