Families of Oct. 7 Victims Launch "File 7.10" Accusing Israeli Governments

Families of Israelis killed and taken hostage on October 7 unveiled "File 7.10," a document they describe as an indictment against successive Israeli governments for their responsibility in the failures leading up to the Hamas attacks. At a press conference Tuesday, they asserted that anyone in a leadership position on or before October 7 cannot continue to lead the country and urged citizens to join their cause.

Several bereaved family members shared personal accounts and criticisms of government policy. Shelly Mesil-Yogev, mother of a victim murdered at the Nova music festival, stated that the "greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel" has not been investigated, with no lessons learned or culprits identified. She blamed a flawed "conception" and political decisions over 15 years for her daughter's death, directly addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a reported intelligence recommendation to eliminate Hamas leader Sinwar prior to the attack.

Natalia Qasrouti, mother of another Nova victim, played her son's final recording and questioned how Qatari money transferred to Gaza, allegedly facilitated by the Israeli government, contributed to Hamas's capabilities. She demanded accountability, stating that resignation and a pension are not sufficient punishment for those found guilty.

Einav Tsengauker, mother of a released hostage, emphasized that the October 7 failures were a "long and continuous failure of years of leadership, policy, and conception," not just a three-hour event. She described "File 7.10" as a factual and professional document detailing the decisions and policies that preceded the massacre, calling it a "severe and resounding indictment against the governments of the conception."

Other speakers, including the father of a soldier killed in Gaza and the father of a kidnapped and murdered hostage, criticized policies that allegedly strengthened Hamas through Qatari funding and the prevention of strikes against its leaders. They argued that the security concept had collapsed and that those responsible should not be allowed to run in elections or serve as prime minister. One speaker revealed that an offer to return civilian hostages was made in the early days of the war and was not answered by Israel, suggesting that the lives of her father and dozens of others could have been saved.

Gil Dickman, whose relatives were murdered, vowed to relentlessly pursue accountability, stating, "We will not allow you to bury the failure of October 7. We will chase you studio-to-studio, panel-to-panel." He declared that the upcoming elections should focus solely on whether to allow those who led the country to disaster to lead it to another.

Mirav Svirsky, who lost her parents and brother, described the events as a "conscious abandonment" of human lives and national security, stating that her parents had no state to protect them in their final hours. Lishi Miran Levi, a former hostage whose husband was abducted, expressed fear of repeating the same destructive path, noting that weapons purchased with Qatari money, transferred by the Israeli government, were used against her family. Naomi Or Afek, a young relative of murdered individuals, concluded that October 7 was a natural result of a long-standing policy and that those responsible are evading accountability.