Families of Oct. 7 Victims Accuse Netanyahu of Whitewashing Failures

Families of Israelis killed on October 7 held a press conference in Tel Aviv on September 15, demanding accountability for the "strategic failure" against Hamas over the past 15 years. They presented a "Dossier of October 7: Israel's Strategic Failure Against Hamas in the Last 15 Years," compiled from open sources, which details events preceding the attack.

Shelly Mashal-Yogev, mother of a victim from the Nova music festival, stated that her daughter's death was due to an erroneous security concept and accused the country's leadership of ignoring warnings for 15 years, leading to the tragedy. Gil Dickman, cousin of a victim killed in captivity, asserted that the dossier contains numerous warnings of the failures that preceded October 7.

Dickman accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates of attempting to downplay responsibility for the past 15 years of policy and vowed that the victims' families would not allow these facts to be erased or distorted. A joint statement from the relatives alleged that Netanyahu's inner circle launched a campaign immediately after the massacre to absolve the prime minister of responsibility, citing statements from his allies that blamed security forces alone.

The families' dossier suggests the October 7 tragedy was not a single error but the result of a long-term policy that enabled Hamas to prepare and execute its largest-ever terrorist attack in Israel. This comes after previous reports indicated Netanyahu received a warning about Hamas's attack preparations in September 2023 via the UAE, a report that reportedly caused no surprise.