First Israeli report from October 7 finds ‘serious errors and mistakes’ in IDF response

What happened

The first of dozens of Israeli investigations expected to be conducted into security lapses during the attacks on October 7 last year has concluded that the Israel Defense Forces “failed” to fulfill its mandate to protect residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. More than 100 people from the Gaza border community were killed by Hamas militants as part of a wider attack in southern Israel.

Who said that

The IDF made “serious errors and mistakes” that caused troops to “wait outside the kibbutz” for hours while “the massacre continued inside,” according to the long-awaited report, released on Thursday. While “acknowledging its own failures,” Reuters said, the military “praised the bravery of Beeri residents” who, “despite being vastly outnumbered, attempted to repel the militants.”

The report is the “beginning of a long process of repairing and rebuilding trust” between the Israeli military and the public, said IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. A broader, independent commission of inquiry “should be established” to further investigate the response to the attacks, he added, a proposal that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “repeatedly rejected,” The Washington Post said. But internal IDF investigations are unlikely to succeed in “appeasing public demands” for accountability.

Whats Next?