With fighting in Gaza intensifying, the publication of IDF investigation findings into the October 7 attacks has been postponed. On March 5, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir appointed retired Major General Sami Turgeman to lead an external team of experts tasked with reviewing the IDF’s inquiries into the events and assessing how their lessons are being implemented.
The committee was instructed to examine the core investigations conducted at General Staff headquarters, evaluate their quality, determine which are sufficient and which require further work, and identify areas requiring reinvestigation. Its conclusions were expected to be published this week, but Zamir, in coordination with Turgeman, decided to delay their release. The move is intended to ensure officers remain focused on preparations for a major operation in Gaza rather than distracted by the report’s implications.
Alongside Turgeman, the committee includes other senior figures such as retired generals Amikam Norkin, Yossi Baidatz, and Eli Sharvit—once briefly nominated by Prime Minister Netanyahu as head of the Shin Bet—as well as additional senior officers including Brigadier General Ofer Levy.
The team’s work has involved site visits, consultations with both senior and junior commanders, and an in-depth review of the General Staff’s investigations. Dozens of former senior IDF officers testified before the committee, including past chiefs of staff, generals involved in the events, and relevant field commanders. According to officers who appeared, the committee has worked professionally and thoroughly, exposing significant gaps in the IDF’s inquiries, particularly those conducted by the Operations Directorate and Southern Command.
Most senior commanders connected to the failures have since taken responsibility and resigned. Zamir may now have to reconsider the future of General Shlomi Binder, who headed the Operations Division on October 7 and was later appointed head of Military Intelligence by former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
Defense Minister Israel Katz also faces a dilemma. He has considered appointing Oded Basyuk, the former head of the Operations Directorate who resigned, to a senior post in the Defense Ministry. While Katz values Basyuk—who is additionally held in high regard by both the Chief of Staff and the Prime Minister’s Office—bereaved families have protested the potential appointment, and critics argue it cannot proceed without clarifying Basyuk’s responsibility for what is widely regarded as the gravest military failure since Israel’s founding.
One committee member emphasized that addressing the report’s conclusions now would only divert commanders from the immediate and overriding objective: securing victory in the upcoming Gaza operation.