Israeli State Comptroller Announces Start of Investigation into Failures Surrounding Hamas’ Attack

Israeli soldiers patrolling near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from Neraby Gaza Strip Saturday when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman announced on Thursday the launch of a comprehensive investigation with political and military leaderships into the failures surrounding the Hamas attack on October 7.
Englman said he will examine the government’s response before, during, and after the Hamas attack and that his office will also review the government’s actions following the outbreak of war, including civilian evacuations from the south and north.
The State Comptroller affirmed that “no stone will be left unturned” in examining “personal responsibility” for the “failures on all levels – policy, military and civilian.”
His announcement came after the Israeli media widely criticized the Comptroller for his shortcoming in investigating the October 7 attack, reminding him that in the Second Lebanon War, he had sent his team to the front lines before the war was over to closely observe how it broke out and the way it ran.
Some Israeli media outlets even accused the Comptroller of covering up the failures of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Thursday, Englman said during a meeting with high-ranking employees that the investigation will encompass developments prior to the Hamas attack.
He said reports showed that the Movement was preparing for a detailed attack on Israel, but that no one was capable of preventing it.
He said that “on October 7, Israel's supposedly fortified borders were breached... Thousands of Israelis suffered the attack, including soldiers and civilians. People were slaughtered and others wounded. Women have been raped, and hundreds have been kidnapped to Gaza.”
Englman noted that he will examine the government’s security cabinet conduct, military and policymakers’ actions on October 7, intelligence and defense preparedness, civilian security in the Gaza border region, Hamas funding, and equipment shortages for the Israeli army.
Political sources said Englman’s announcement is the result of external pressure, and that his investigation would undermine the government, just to please the anti-right media.
Last month, the State Comptroller had criticized the government over its lack of preparedness for the outbreak of war and for what he termed the state’s slow response to assisting the civilian populations most impacted by the conflict. “There is no justification for the late awakening of the Israeli government,” he had said.