Families of October 7 Victims Release Dossier Demanding Full Government Accountability

A coalition of survivors and relatives of victims killed during the October 7 Hamas attacks has released an extensive compendium of records, dubbed the "October 7 Files," aiming to force an official governmental investigation and mandate accountability across the Israeli political and security establishment. The initiative was formally presented during a press gathering in Tel Aviv, where grieving relatives gathered to present their findings and voice their frustrations over what they describe as a deliberate avoidance of state scrutiny.

The compiled archive brings together various reports, documents, and historical records tracking the chain of events surrounding the deadly assault and the policy choices implemented in the years prior. The organizers stated that their primary goal is to ensure that the systemic lapses, strategic doctrines, and security failures that enabled the tragedy are laid bare before the public, pressing for the establishment of a formal state commission of inquiry.

Among the prominent speakers at the gathering was Shelly Mashal Yogev, whose daughter, Libby Cohen Meguri, was murdered while attending the Nova music festival. Yogev voiced profound outrage over the absence of a comprehensive national inquiry into the deadliest single day in the country’s history, questioning how such an unprecedented national catastrophe could occur without formal legal and governmental reckoning.

Yogev directly placed blame on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that the disaster was the predictable outcome of deliberate governing policies. She contended that political leadership for years relied on a framework designed to manage rather than eliminate the threat posed by militant factions in Gaza, maintaining a posture that weakened the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas while tolerating the entrenchment of Hamas.

Central to the criticisms raised by the bereaved families was the long-standing policy permitting significant amounts of foreign financing and resources to enter the Gaza Strip. Yogev highlighted the influx of Qatari funds and large quantities of construction supplies, such as concrete, which she asserted were diverted to construct subterranean tunnel networks where Israeli captives were later held, and where several hostages ultimately lost their lives.

The dossier also raises sharp questions regarding operational decisions made in the period preceding the incursion. Yogev claimed that the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, had provided warnings to the political echelon regarding escalating dangers, but authorizations to carry out targeted strikes against senior militant commanders were repeatedly withheld.

Addressing the prime minister directly, Yogev asserted that a more aggressive posture toward high-ranking militant leadership could have altered the trajectory of the disaster. She specifically pointed to former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, arguing that previous opportunities to eliminate him were bypassed, leaving her daughter and hundreds of other victims vulnerable to the cross-border attack.

Yogev characterized the prevailing intelligence and political assessment—widely referred to as the "conception"—not as an isolated momentary failure, but as the culmination of strategic policies maintained across a fifteen-year period. According to the families, this entrenched mindset created an artificial sense of security that ultimately led directly to the collapse on October 7.

The press conference also featured passionate remarks from Einav Zangauker, whose son, Matan Zangauker, was held hostage in Gaza. Zangauker sharply criticized what she characterized as a calculated public campaign by officials seeking to evade institutional culpability for the preconditions that enabled the cross-border breach.

In her remarks, Zangauker pressed the political establishment on why vast financial transfers were continually approved for years despite full awareness of Hamas's governance over Gaza. She urged the general public to read the "October 7 Files" directly, arguing that broad citizen awareness is necessary to counter attempts to rewrite historical records and deflect responsibility from decision-makers.

The demand for accountability was further expanded by Natalia Casarotti, whose child, Keshet, was killed during the massacre. Casarotti insisted that any future state investigation must not be confined to a single office, but must thoroughly scrutinize every tier of the state's leadership apparatus, leaving no agency or political faction immune from review.

Casarotti specified that inquiries must encompass the prime minister, the minister of defense, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, leaders of the political opposition, and key security organs, including the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the National Security Council. She maintained that anyone found to have acted with criminal negligence or failure should face formal judicial consequences, including imprisonment.

Critique of the long-term political trajectory was also voiced by Professor Ephraim Shoham, whose soldier son was killed during combat operations inside the Gaza Strip. Shoham recalled prior political commitments made nearly two decades ago in which Netanyahu vowed to bring about the complete collapse of Hamas, pointing out that despite being in power for sixteen of the subsequent seventeen years, that objective was never fulfilled.

By publishing the "October 7 Files," the survivors and bereaved relatives aim to maintain sustained public pressure for institutional transparency. They insist that without a formal, independent commission vested with the authority to examine both political decisions and operational failures, the country will remain unable to address the fundamental structural weaknesses that resulted in the tragedy.