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War cabinet minister Gantz calls for 7 October inquiry

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz breaks with Netanyahu, calls for 7 October inquiry
MENA
2 min read
25 May, 2024
The comments come as Netanyahu and the military entered a public spat after the latter said it warned the government about Israel's divisions before the attack.
Benny Gantz's call for an inquiry comes in contrast to Netanyahu's calls for an inquiry after the end of the war [Getty]

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz has issued demands for the establishment for a state commission of inquiry into the military failures prior to Hamas' attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

The former opposition politician who joined Benjamin Netanyahu's government following Hamas' attack called for the inquiry on Thursday.

"There is no doubt - the period and the events leading up to October 7, and the continuation of the campaign since then, are a national upheaval from which we must learn," Gantz said.

"At this time, it is no longer enough that we take responsibility for what happened. We must take responsibility and act, so that it never happens again. The only way to do this is through a state commission of inquiry that should be set up as soon as possible."

He added that he would submit a resolution for its establishment.

During the speech Gantz referenced the release of new footage of female Israeli soldiers being taken captive in Nahaz Oz military base by Hamas. Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October killed 1,200 people with around 250 people taken captive.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed 35,800 Palestinians and wounded 80,011. On Friday The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to "immediately halt" it's offensive into Rafah.

 Gantz also referred to the public spat between Netanyahu and the military over whether Netanyahu ignored military warnings that the internal divisions of the country were being taken note by Israel's adversaries.

The Israeli military claims that Netanyahu received four warning documents from March to July 2023 about the perception of Israel's internal divisions, centred on anti-Judicial reform protests, among Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

However, Netanyahu denied the claims, saying that the military briefs did not refer to Hamas intention to attack Israel from the Gaza Strip. Rather, he claims that the military said Hamas did not want to attack Israel.

He has also consistently called for an investigation to occur after the war is finished, although he has also received criticism, in particular from defence minister Yoav Gallant, for a lack of plan for post-war Gaza.