As Israel marks three years since the attack that killed roughly 1,200 people across southern communities, survivors and relatives are pressing for an official investigation into how the country’s security systems failed to prevent the assault. Kfar Aza resident Inbar Goldstein, who lost her brother and niece while four other relatives were taken hostage, said her country must accept responsibility for the incident, which also resulted in 251 people being taken to Gaza.
Despite the scale of the security breach, Israel has not conducted an independent state inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the attack. Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was leading the government at the time, continues to face scrutiny over what information he received in advance. Reports have emerged suggesting that various regional actors, including the United Arab Emirates and Egyptian officials, may have provided warnings to Netanyahu prior to the assault. Netanyahu’s office has dismissed these allegations as false and threatened legal action against media outlets reporting such claims.
Members of Netanyahu’s political party have defended him, with one official arguing it would have been unrealistic for him to have known about the operation given that only a small number of people within Hamas were aware of the plans. However, journalist Yaakov Katz noted that Netanyahu, as prime minister, had set the broader policy toward Gaza that may have created conditions enabling the attack. Multiple military and intelligence officials had warned of suspicious activity in the months preceding the strike, including reports from female soldiers stationed along the border.
Netanyahu has suggested that security officials deliberately chose not to notify him in the hours before the attack occurred, implying that his direct involvement could have prevented the assault. The military’s then-chief of staff publicly apologized for the failure to protect civilians and subsequently resigned from his position. The demand for accountability remains a significant issue, with families of the deceased and missing insisting that a thorough examination of the events is necessary to prevent future security failures.
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