Supreme Court Allows Naming of Gaza Division Intelligence Officer Involved in Oct. 7 Failures

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled to allow the publication of the name of the Gaza Division's intelligence officer on October 7, Lieutenant Colonel Aryeh Amidror. The court, led by President Yitzhak Amit, rejected Amidror's appeal against the decision, citing a significant public interest in revealing his identity due to his role during the Hamas attack and the intention to dismiss him from the IDF for professional failures.

President Amit described the October 7 attack as a "traumatic event of biblical proportions" and noted that Amidror is not the only officer whose identity and role have been revealed while still serving, referencing the case of a former Unit 8200 commander. The initial gag order was issued at the request of the defense establishment for security reasons, but the state later changed its position, stating no objection to publishing Amidror's name and linking him to his position in the Gaza Division. Amit emphasized that this change in the defense establishment's stance was crucial to the court's decision, noting, "The mouth that forbade is the mouth that permitted."

Amidror had argued that publishing his name would endanger his security and violate his privacy, and that the decision to allow publication was not made by the authorized IDF officials. He requested to wait until his potential release from the army in December. Amit dismissed these claims, stating the decision was made with the approval of the head of the Information Security Department and that there was no reason to doubt his authority. The Supreme Court president added that the defense establishment's decision was "professional and objective," also considering that Amidror's name had already circulated on social media, likening the situation to "a mass escape of horses from the stable."

An investigation detailed in a book by Haaretz military correspondent Amos Harel describes how a warning about Hamas's intentions was sent by a lieutenant colonel in the Gaza Division the evening before the attack, but Amidror assessed the scenario as unlikely. Despite acknowledging the intelligence as "gold" and the plan as "crazy," he deemed its execution "completely imaginary." Amidror's tenure as intelligence officer for the Gaza Division concluded in January 2025, though he remained in the army.

IDF investigations concluded that the division failed to present intelligence that would have warned of the attack and was unable to form a situational picture to counter Hamas's takeover of Gaza border communities. In November 2025, the Chief of Staff ordered proceedings to end Amidror's service, citing his "command responsibility for the events of October 7 by virtue of his position." Amidror appealed this decision, but the District Court in Tel Aviv rejected his petition in June, allowing the IDF to proceed but initially prohibiting the publication of his name. "Yediot Ahronot" then requested to publish the name, while Amidror opposed it. In September, a district court judge permitted the publication, citing no security impediment and a significant public interest. Amidror's subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was denied today.