October 7 Commission of Inquiry

We deserve better: Three years after October 7, Israel still waits for an investigation - editorial

A government should view the need to uncover the truth behind the country’s darkest day as a national obligation rather than a political inconvenience.

A hearing on a petition demanding the formation of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 23, 2026.
 Jane Kiel.

Jerusalem Jane: Finding light and healing throughout years of war in Israel - opinion

Bereaved families opposing a state commission of inquiry protest outside a hearing on a petition demanding the formation of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, April 23, 2026.

Israel's government had time for everything except for October 7 accountability - comment

Defense Minister Israel Katz, government ministers and members of Knesset attend a plenum session and a vote on a bill to freeze arrests of haredi draft evaders at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 14, 2026.

Government delays October 7 inquiry bill, tells High Court legislation will wait until elections


October 7 investigation: High Court freezes core State Comptroller audits, seeks clarification

The court ruled that State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman must suspend his probes into the October 7 failures, as lawmakers move to establish a political commission of inquiry.

Matanyahu Englman

Herzog opposes coalition's Oct. 7 commission of inquiry, calls for state investigation

"The terrible disaster of October 7, and the failure that led to it, must be investigated in depth and in a national manner," Herzog said.

President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak at an event at the President's residence in Jerusalem, May 1, 2025

Israel's High Court hears petitions to halt comptroller's Oct. 7 probe, risking future inquiry

The petitions were filed by the Military Defense Counsel and the NGO the Movement for Quality Government in Israel. The panel consisted of Justices Daphne Barak-Erez, David Mintz, and Alex Stein.

Supreme Court justices preside over a hearing at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025

Israel’s Oct. 7 reckoning will be decided at the ballot box - opinion

Decisions about accountability and the next phase of regional diplomacy rest with Israeli voters, not investigative panels.

 A man casts his vote in the Israeli general elections, at a polling station in Jerusalem, on November 1, 2022.

Israel needs reckoning and renewal - its leaders must finally accept accountability - opinion

We are being told that the same ministers who failed in the years leading up to October 7 – and on October 7 itself – should determine who will investigate those failures. 

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at a Knesset debate, July 14, 2025; illustrative.

Despite turbulent week, demand for commission of inquiry, bloc map remain stable - poll

Against the backdrop of the draft law, the establishment of a government commission of inquiry, and the interview by Eli Feldstein on the Qatargate affair, coalition parties maintain their strength.

Knesset members attend a plenum hearing, October 29, 2025; illustrative.

With half the country distrustful, Oct. 7 inquiry can't stay in government hands - editorial

In the aftermath of the two-year Israel-Hamas War, the necessity of a national commission of inquiry into the causes of the October 7 massacre and the initial failure to contain it is clear as day.

A sign at a London pro-Palestinian march, December 9, 2023.

Knesset passes preliminary vote on political probe into October 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present, as he was speaking at the Israel Air Force pilot cadets ceremony.

Opposition members of Israel's Knesset leave during a preliminary vote to establish a political commission of inquiry, December 24, 2025; Illustrative.

October 7 demands an inquiry, not a presumption of guilt - opinion

There is a critical distinction between asking how Israel’s defenses failed and asserting that the state permitted the mass murder of its civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on December 8, 2025.

Bereaved families protest proposed Oct. 7 inquiry law ahead of Knesset vote

Families and activists protested Wednesday to oppose a politically appointed inquiry into the October 7 attack, saying it would undermine accountability and replace an independent investigation.

Police arrest a man during a protest calling for a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7 outside the home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in Tel Aviv, December 24, 2025