Maj-Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland
Photo: Ofer Amram
Raid on Gaza-bound ship
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
IDF chief orders probe into flotilla raid
Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi asks Maj-Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland to head external inquest into deadly raid of Gaza flotilla. Panel to submit report by July
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi on Monday ordered a formal, external inquiry into Operation Sky Winds – the naval raid of the Gaza aid flotilla.
The probe, meant to derive operational conclusions from the deadly events which took place aboard the Marmara – the sail's lead vessel – will be conducted by a panel of experts headed by Maj-Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland.
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Similar external inquires were conducted after Gilad Shalit's abduction and the Second Lebanon War.
Eiland and his team will review post-op debriefings and the initial investigation into the events, as well as the performance of all bodies connected to the operation.
The IDF said the decision to create the panel stemmed from the military's wish to investigate every aspect of the deadly raid in full.
Joining Eiland will be Brigadier-General Aviv Kohavi, who once headed the Operations Directorate, former Chief Intelligence Officer Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yuval Halamish and Colonel (res.) Ben Zion Da'abul, who held senior posts in the Navy and the defense establishment.
The panel is expected to submit its findings by July.
Military sources said the purpose of the panel's work it to provide objective conclusions by professional who were not a part of the operation and therefore cannot be affected by the results.
This objectivity, added the sources, would allow the panel to draw a wider range of conclusions, which may shed a different light on the events.
