Israel Protests Call for Probe into Oct. 7 Government Failures

(MENAFN) Demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday called for an official investigation into government and security failures related to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack and its aftermath, according to Israeli media reports.

Around 2,000 protesters gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, while approximately 250 others assembled in Jerusalem, as reported by Israeli outlets.

The protests were organized by civil society groups and families of victims, who are demanding accountability over political and military decisions they say contributed to the failures surrounding the attack, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage in Gaza.

In Jerusalem, police reportedly dispersed some demonstrators after they did not comply with orders to evacuate the area.

Participants criticized what they described as a refusal by leadership to accept responsibility and called for the creation of an independent state commission to investigate the events and determine accountability.

Israeli political, security, and military figures have previously acknowledged shortcomings in the response to the Oct. 7 attack, with some officials resigning or accepting partial responsibility.

Following the attack, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza, which has caused widespread destruction and casualties, with reconstruction costs estimated by the UN in the tens of billions of dollars.

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