World

Israel Faces Calls for Accountability Over 2023 Gaza Attack After Three Years

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

When the sky lightened over Israel’s Gaza border on Wednesday, residents of Kfar Aza quietly approached the kibbutz’s armory. There, shortly after 07:00 on 7 October 2023, Hamas‑led attackers killed half of the community’s 14‑member civil defence squad. The attack also killed 64 residents of Kfar Aza and abducted 19, including Inbar Goldstein’s brother and niece. Goldstein, who lost four relatives, says the nation must take responsibility.

The 7 October assault was Israel’s deadliest since its founding in 1948. About 1,200 people were killed across southern Israel when gunmen breached the border fence and attacked communities, and 251 were taken to Gaza as hostages. Three years later, no independent state inquiry has been held into how the attack was allowed to happen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in office at the time, is running for re‑election with a campaign promise to be stronger and tougher in protecting Israel.

Goldstein notes that the failure was not limited to Hamas. Questions remain about Israel’s intelligence failure, the information passed to military and political leaders before the attacks, and what Netanyahu himself knew. Young female soldiers posted at bases along the Gaza border had warned their superiors about possible preparations for an attack. Among them was Roni Eshel, who was killed with 14 other members of her unit when gunmen overran their base at Nahal Oz, next to Kfar Aza.

Elad Levy, Eshel’s uncle, asked whether Egyptian or Emirati warnings were ignored. He said, “We need to find out what happened – not just on the day, but the year before, and five years before that.” He added, “If we don’t inquire into this, it will happen again and again.”

Reports over the past three years claim that Netanyahu received warnings from his own security chief and from regional neighbours. Haaretz published excerpts from a new book alleging that the United Arab Emirates’ leader called Netanyahu 10 days before the attack to warn of Hamas plans for a major operation. Netanyahu’s office called the report an “absolute lie” and said it would sue the newspaper. Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, called the suggestion preposterous, noting that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had only told a handful of people.

Netanyahu blamed his security chiefs for the failures, accusing them of deliberately choosing not to wake him in the hours before the attack to avoid a massive deployment of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and escalation. He told Channel 14 that waking him would have prevented the attacks.

Journalist Yaakov Katz, author of *While Israel Slept*, described calls between senior military figures and intelligence chiefs in the early hours of the morning, the recall of commanders from leave, and the dispatch of an elite intelligence unit to the border. Katz said the expectation was a small incursion, not a full‑scale assault.

Netanyahu has overseen a policy of containing Hamas rather than confronting it, allowing Qatar to provide hundreds of millions of dollars of aid for Gaza. A month after the attacks, he told a German newspaper that claims he wanted to strengthen Hamas were “an absolute lie.” He said the money was meant to avoid a civilian catastrophe.

Months after the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi publicly apologized for the failure to defend civilians, resigned, and a number of military commanders were later fired. Israel’s domestic intelligence chief also left his position. Netanyahu has so far rejected any personal responsibility.

At a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday, the father of one of those killed on 7 October challenged the prime minister, saying, “You didn’t protect my son, you didn’t protect all those who were murdered.” He was led away by security guards.

Calls for accountability are growing. Campaigners have asked Israel’s Supreme Court to force the government to establish a state commission of inquiry. Yizhar Shai, a former minister whose youngest son was killed on 7 October, said, “We are going into these elections almost blindfolded as it relates to October 7th.” Netanyahu has consistently refused a state inquiry, arguing that the judiciary would be biased against him. His government proposed a “national commission of inquiry” with members appointed by political parties, but passed no bill before parliament ended its session in July.

Netanyahu’s denial of responsibility has become an election issue as he prepares to run for re‑election later this month. A video game called *Sleepy Bibi*, released by the team of his main opponent Gadi Eisenkot, asks players to help the prime minister avoid responsibility by dodging warnings of an attack.

Netanyahu has styled himself for decades as Israel’s “Mr. Security.” Despite presiding over the worst security failure in Israel’s history, he is running on the same security platform again. Polls suggest a close race, and the 7 October attacks are central to many voters’ decisions. The legacy of the attacks divides Israel along political lines, with supporters saying Netanyahu is still needed to keep Israel safe, while critics say his political survival puts Israel at risk.