Senior Shin Bet Official Recounts Oct. 7 Trauma, Daughter's Death

Mira Shoshani, formerly the highest-ranking woman in the Shin Bet and head of its operational division on October 7, has spoken publicly for the first time about the events of that day. In an interview for a film by Amnon Ravi, broadcast on Channel 12, Shoshani described trying to manage the fighting from a safe room in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, her husband's injury while attempting to rescue their daughter, and the loss of her daughter, Ofir, who was killed in the "Young Generation" neighborhood of the kibbutz.

Shoshani, a resident of Kfar Aza for 21 years, admitted to being part of the intelligence "conception" that underestimated Hamas. On the morning of October 7, she was initially told the incoming fire was a drill, but she quickly recognized the severity of the attack. Reflecting on the possibility of capture, Shoshani stated, "If I fall into captivity, it must be clear to everyone that they must kill me. There is no need to try to save me, they must kill me."

While Shoshani was in her safe room with her younger son, Amit, her daughter Ofir was in her room. Her husband, Shai, was severely wounded in the shoulder while trying to reach Ofir and had to barricade himself in an armory after discovering that members of the neighborhood watch had been killed. Shoshani managed the situation remotely, receiving Ofir's last message, "Mom, I love you," before contact was lost. Shoshani was evacuated later that day and continued to manage operations from the Shin Bet's Ashkelon command center. She learned of Ofir's death on Monday afternoon.

Despite her personal tragedy, Shoshani and her family faced accusations of betrayal and preferential treatment regarding her rescue. Shoshani vehemently rejected these claims, criticizing politician Tali Gottlieb and expressing pain over the Prime Minister and Defense Minister's silence on the matter. Feeling a double failure as a senior official and a mother, she resigned from her position.

"The girl who was my whole world is gone. I felt I had failed, I couldn't save her. I failed in the mission of my life," she said, adding that she cannot forgive herself. She criticized the lack of accountability, stating, "It wasn't just the Shin Bet that failed, everything failed. The army failed, the policy failed. This is such a great professional failure. To interrogate yourself deeply is to understand where we went wrong, because if we don't understand, we can't fix it."

In Ofir's memory, Shoshani established the "Ofir Center for Leadership" to train emergency commanders based on her daughter's principles. "The decision to engage in life and commemorate Ofir with something alive, keeps me alive. I think she would have been proud of me for that," Shoshani concluded. She advised trainees to "be humble, that's the key to success. Anyone who leaves here must think: 'This could happen to me.'"