Prime Minister Netanyahu himself will chair the panel to determine the scope of the public inquiry into the October 7 attacks, the government has confirmed.
The coalition has already denied calls for a state commission of inquiry, appointed by the Supreme Court with a mandate provided by ministers, in favour of a government commission, whose membership and scope will be both determined by a ministerial panel.
Opposition politicians and some of the major hostage family organisations have long claimed that it is inappropriate for the government to have such influence over an investigation that may touch on its own failures leading up to the massacre.
The prime minister himself will now be in a key position to determine what the eventual inquiry examines and whether it focusses on the impact of decisions by him and his predecessors.
The ministerial committee will meet for the first time on Monday to begin devising the inquiry’s mandate.
Responding to the news, Democrats Chair Yair Golan said: "The man responsible for the greatest disaster in our history isn’t looking for answers, he’s looking for an alibi. This committee won’t investigate failures — it will investigate how to pin the blame on the army, on the protest movement, or even on the kibbutz members.
"The mandate is clear: to whitewash the leader and cling to power by force."
It comes as the Kan public broadcaster reported that IDF intelligence identified on October 6, 2023 that Hamas was planning an operation for the following morning.
According to the outlet, sources in the army's Southern Command said that the unit dismissed the drone-gathered information as indicating a training exercise rather than a significant attack.
The finding is not mentioned in any IDF records, though, and was referenced in the army's own internal probes into its failings prior to the attack.
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