"A cover up": IDF’s october 7 investigations raise more questions than answers

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi convened the IDF’s senior command staff—battalion commanders and above—on Monday to present the official military investigations into the events of October 7. The core topics covered intelligence warnings before the war, early indicators, the decision-making process at the General Staff level, and the dozens of battles fought across the border region, key roads, military bases, and civilian communities.

However, the absence of Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, the commander of the Gaza Division on October 7, was particularly notable. Having taken responsibility for the division’s failures and resigning from his position, some sources claim Rosenfeld holds a deep grievance against the General Staff for the way he and his division were treated before and during the Hamas attack.

Criticism from Within the Ranks

Even before the meeting began, officers expressed concern that while it was understandable to focus on battlefield performance, more emphasis should have been placed on the strategic decisions made overnight before the attack and in the critical hours that followed. One senior figure familiar with the investigations noted that key issues had been ignored, stating:

"How will the IDF learn the necessary lessons if some of the most crucial decisions remain unexamined? This is a matter of ethics and accountability."

Another major source of criticism was the exclusion of senior reserve officers from the discussion, despite their significant role in the war. Many reserve soldiers left their homes and volunteered to fight even without official call-up orders, yet no senior reserve officers were invited to the briefing. Some within the IDF believe that their presence would have sent a strong message of appreciation for their contributions, both on October 7 and throughout the ongoing war.

Early Intelligence and IDF Surveillance: What Went Wrong?

According to sources familiar with the findings, there were communications between the IDF Operations Division and the Air Force before 06:29 AM on October 7. The investigation aims to clarify who was informed of the intelligence updates and who was left in the dark until the Hamas rocket barrages had already begun.

Additionally, the Air Force had been conducting surveillance on Hamas operatives the night before the attack, yet the military’s investigation does not provide a clear answer as to why these activities did not indicate that Hamas was preparing for war.

A Shocking Disruption: Intelligence Chief Pulled to Testify in Netanyahu’s Trial

A dramatic moment unfolded at approximately 2:00 PM, when IDF Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva received a direct call from Israel’s political leadership, ordering him to leave the meeting and testify in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial. Haliva left and only returned to the military briefing more than two hours later.

Within the defense establishment, calls are already being made to the incoming Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, urging him to establish new investigative teams—or at the very least, to review the findings presented so far to Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Lingering Questions and a Demand for Deeper Investigation

As the dust settles on the military’s internal review, many crucial questions remain unanswered:

With calls for new investigations gaining traction, it remains to be seen whether Israel’s military leadership will face real accountability—or whether the nation will be left unprepared for the next inevitable threat.