Families of Oct. 7 Victims Unveil "7.10 File," Demand Accountability

Families of victims from the October 7th Hamas attacks and hostages presented a document dubbed the "7.10 File" on Tuesday, sharply criticizing the Israeli government's conduct and its handling of their loved ones. They vowed to prevent the "mishandling" of responsibility for the failures that led to the attacks and demanded that "everyone who had a hand on the wheel that day must go home."

Gil Dickman, whose cousin Carmel Gat was murdered in captivity and aunt Kineret Gat was killed in Kibbutz Be'eri, directly addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Dickman stated that while Netanyahu claims he wasn't alerted on October 7th, the "7.10 File" contains "1,000 alarm clocks." He accused a "poison machine" of attempting to downplay the decade-and-a-half-long failure as a mere three-hour incident, vowing not to allow the government to "bury the October 7th failure" or falsely claim all hostages were returned.

Dickman further declared their intention to "haunt" those trying to erase the failure, making the upcoming elections solely about whether to allow those who led the nation to disaster, who are "fooled by Sinwar" and "approved Hamas funding for years," to lead the country into another catastrophe. Me'irav Svirsky, whose parents were murdered in Be'eri and brother was kidnapped and killed in captivity, shared her personal tragedy, emphasizing that the state could have saved her brother if it had prioritized his life. She stressed that the government must not be led by those responsible for the massacre, reiterating the demand for accountability.

Lishai Miran Levi, a former hostage, described the "7.10 File" as a collection of puzzle pieces explaining how the nation arrived at October 7th and the necessity of vigilance to prevent future occurrences. Michel Illouz, father of a kidnapped and murdered hostage, protested the transfer of funds to Gaza, stating the government provided only a grave. He questioned whether leaders considered the consequences of transferring money to an organization bent on destroying Israelis, demanding answers and not "spin."

Naomi Or Afek, 16, a relative of murdered and surviving family members, concluded by stating that October 7th was a natural result of a long-standing policy. She asserted that those responsible for the failure are not entitled to the benefit of the doubt and are evading responsibility. As she prepares to enlist in the IDF, she demands that decision-makers be worthy individuals, unlike those whose decisions created the disaster.