IDF report on its investigations into Oct 7 failures delayed due to Gaza City op, expected to cause internal upheaval

Six months ago, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir appointed Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman to head a review committee to examine the IDF's investigations into the Oct. 7, 2023, failures. 

On Sunday, publication of the committee's conclusions was postponed, so as not to cause disturbance ahead of the army's preparations to occupy Gaza City. 

According to reports in Channel 12 and Ynet News, the findings include harsh criticism of the internal investigation conducted by the IDF and raise significant questions about the way the military conducts investigations and operational steps. 

One of the main findings of the Turgeman committee, is a “black hole” regarding the “Jericho Walls” document. Jericho Walls was the name given to a planned Hamas invasion, discovered by Israeli security officials about one and a half years before the Oct. 7 attacks.

During the period from August 2022, when the Jericho Walls plan was discovered until Oct. 7, there was no continuous and orderly monitoring, which left what the report called “a black hole” in the investigations. 

The committee found that the Southern Command investigation into Jericho Walls began only three months before Oct. 7, but did not include reference to events that occurred earlier. The chronological gaps impair the ability to draw proper understanding of the IDF's failures and lack of preparation, the report notes. 

The previous IDF internal investigation did not examine Jericho Walls, even though it was one of the central issues related to the failures of Oct. 7. 

The Turgeman investigation also revealed that the previous IDF investigations did not deal with flaws in the organizational culture of the military or how critical information did not reach the top echelons of the military. 

For example, Chief of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, who headed the Operations Brigade at the beginning of the Iron Swords War, was not informed during his tenure about Hamas’ Jericho Walls invasion plan.

On the night of Oct. 6-7, Binder was not informed until midnight about telltale signs of significant activity that had had been gathered by Shin Bet and Military Intelligence five hours earlier. The first update he received coming at 2:30 a.m. 

Previous Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi concluded that the IDF’s investigation into the events of Oct. 7 did not find any flaws in Binder’s performance on the night of Oct. 6–7, and therefore promoted him to commander of the Intelligence Division following the resignation of Aharon Haliva.

The IDF’s own internal report found that Binder and his men failed to create a situational picture for the top General Staff in the early hours and made decisions late. Regarding the scenario of a mass invasion – which had not been considered in the command scenarios – his performance as an army commander was defined as “reasonable.” 

While Binder’s performance the night before the attack is under scrutiny by the Turgeman committee, he is expected to receive backing from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, especially following his performance since assuming the new command.

Under Binder, there were dramatic results in the operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in late 2024, as well as during Operation Rising Lion against Iran this summer. 

Additionally, the report points to failures in the organizational culture and internal communications, including a unity of opinion that reduced the number of reports, failure to transmit critical information to the top of the General Staff, and ignoring warnings – including reports from Unit 8200 about Hamas training exercises and references to the existence of the "Nova Party” on the border. 

Communication between the IDF's special operations forces and police officials was also described as deficient, even though they were supposed to be partners in protecting the communities and the borders of the Gaza sector. 

Both Ynet and Channel 12 News said army brass expect the publication of the report's conclusions to cause significant internal upheaval. 

Channel 12 News published a response by IDF Spokesperson's Office, which said, “The report of the team of experts headed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman has not yet been reviewed by the Chief of Staff in light of the current focus on the next phase of the maneuver. The Maj. Gen.'s committee is examining the investigations and drawing systemic lessons from the events of October 7. The committee is not intended to examine personal steps against any of those involved.”