Some 200 families of hostages, bereaved families, and families of freed hostages joined the October Council, which represents thousands of families of October 7 victims and has pushed for a state commission of inquiry into the massacre, the organization said Sunday.
The families joined the council in light of uncertainty about the continuation of negotiations for a hostage deal and ahead of discussions regarding a state inquiry set to take place in the Knesset, the council said.
The council now represents over 1,500 families, it said.
Yarden Bibas, whose wife and infant children were killed in captivity and whose bodies were returned to Israel last month, is one of the family members who joined the council, along with Pnina and Ofri, his mother and sister.
Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniella Gilboa was one of five IDF observers freed in the most recent hostage deal, also joined the council, along with Gali Idan, whose husband, Tsachi Idan, was killed in captivity and was buried this weekend.
Family members of Shlomo Mantzur, Arbel Yehoud, Karina Ariev, Omer Wenkert, and many more freed, slain, and still-captive hostages also joined.
Freed hostage Yagil Yaakov, who was released as part of the first hostage deal when he was just 13 years old and whose father’s body is still held by Hamas, also joined the council.
New members of the council signed a statement demanding that a state inquiry be formed to investigate “among other things, the management of the negotiations for the return of our loved ones.”
“Only a state commission of inquiry can provide us with answers, bring some peace to our souls, and prevent the next disaster. The failure to establish a state commission of inquiry and draw lessons would mean harming the security of the state.”
A state probe, or national committee of inquiry, is the most powerful probe in the country’s legal system and the only type of probe that operates completely independently of the political echelon. Its members are appointed by the chief justice, and it has the power to subpoena witnesses and make personal recommendations regarding individuals.
Three questions for the state inquiry
The council laid out three questions that it seeks to have answered by a state inquiry:
1. Was bringing the hostages back truly a central goal of the war, as presented?
2. Were chances to bring hostages back missed?
3. How many hostages could have been brought back alive?
“This past week once again highlighted the hostage disaster – the heartbreaking funerals of the Bibas family members, Oded Lifshitz, Tsachi Idan, and Shlomo Mantzur, alongside the return of the bodies of Itzik Elgarat and Ohad Yahalomi. How many of them could have been saved if the state had fulfilled its commitments?” the council asked.
It said a state commission of inquiry must be established immediately before the evidence disappears.
“The internal investigations presented to the families last week are just the tip of the iceberg and are in no way a substitute for a comprehensive investigation at all levels – political, intelligence, and military alike.”
Some “1,500 families demand answers. Enough with the foot-dragging, enough with the disregard for bereaved families. After 514 days – it’s time for truth, accountability, and security.”
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.