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Protesters against perceived lack of accountability for the security failure gathered outside parliament in Jerusalem on Wednesday, blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing an independent inquiry into the attack, Reuters reported. Some demonstrators held signs reading “The people will remember October 7 on October 27,” a reference to the Israeli general election 20 days away that many view as a referendum on Netanyahu’s tenure. A Haaretz report on an Israel National Security Studies survey found that 75 percent of Israelis support a state commission of inquiry into October 7, including 52 percent of coalition voters.
The attacks of October 7, 2023, were the deadliest day in Israel’s history, according to Reuters figures that place the death toll at 1,200 people with 251 taken hostage in a cross-border incursion by Hamas militants. Israelis have continued to demand government accountability in the years since, with families of those killed joining the political fray ahead of the vote. Netanyahu has rejected personal blame for the security breach and resisted calls for an independent investigation, a stance that has frustrated many including bereaved relatives, Reuters noted in its coverage of the anniversary events.
An Israel National Security Studies assessment detailed in a Haaretz article indicated that the military’s current security posture remains unsustainable over time without addressing underlying failures. The survey data highlighted deep divisions within Israeli society as the third anniversary coincided with preparations for the October 27 ballot. According to the same Haaretz report, the approaching election and anniversary have reignited public discourse on the massacre and the lapses that enabled it.
A New York Times investigation revealed that the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, had secretly warned Netanyahu weeks before the attack that Hamas was planning a major operation. The warning reportedly never reached Israel’s security establishment, and Netanyahu did not mention it during an October 1, 2023, meeting with security chiefs where he advocated maintaining calm in Gaza, the newspaper’s account showed. Netanyahu has denied the report, but the disclosures have amplified calls for a full probe as the election nears.
The attorney general warned in August that further delays in establishing a state commission could undermine its effectiveness and lead to loss of evidence, a point echoed across reports from Haaretz and The National. Internal Israeli Defense Forces investigations into specific incidents, such as the assault on the Paga outpost where 18 soldiers died, have been released after repeated delays but do not constitute a comprehensive state-level inquiry. Experts cited in a Haaretz analysis cautioned that lost evidence and coordinated testimony after three years may complicate even a future commission’s work, though they deemed it essential.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on the anniversary that “the nation unites on this day in the longing for our dear ones,” according to Reuters. Protester Shaked Arrad told the news agency, “We need the change and we need hope and we need to know that we have a government that cares about the public and doesn’t work also only for themselves.” Opposition figures have pledged to form a state commission of inquiry immediately if they win the election, multiple outlets including The Jerusalem Post reported.
