Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Thursday to complete the military's investigation into the failings of the Oct. 7 massacre by the end of January and to deliver to him all those investigations that were already done and completed, so that they would be made public.
"It is the duty of the IDF to complete its investigation quickly and present the findings to the Israeli families and the public at large, so that lessons could be learned, and determinations made," Katz said in a statement.
The defense minister also said that no new appointments to top command positions must be made until the investigation results have been delivered to him. "The defense minister must study the findings and understand their repercussions on possible candidates for promotion," his office said.
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Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi with Defense Minister Israel Katz
(Photo: Defense Ministry )
The deadline imposed by Katz comes as the government refuses to establish a national commission of inquiry into its failings and the failings of the security services ahead of the Hamas massacre and as members of the coalition have been outspoken about their refusal to allow such a commissioned to be paneled.
Halevi criticized Katz after he learned from media reports that two of his appointments for generals have been suspended. "The appointments of officers is not a privilege," Halevi said. It is a necessity and a duty," he wrote in a letter to the senior IDF command.
The chief of staff was the first to assume responsibility for the IDF's failures and implied he would leave his position when the investigations into the massacre are completed.
Members of the coalition have insisted on laying blame for the events leading to the massacre on the IDF and Shin Bet and have claimed that a national commission of inquiry, assembled by a Supreme Court Justice, would be bias against the government and therefore untrustworthy.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the decision by Katz to impose a deadline on the military chief was a "positive and refreshing change," compared to his predecessor's position.