IDF Gaza Division Intel Officer on Oct. 7 Identified as Son of Former National Security Advisor

The IDF officer who served as the intelligence officer for the Gaza Division on October 7, Lieutenant Colonel Aryeh Amidaror, has been identified. His name was cleared for publication by the Supreme Court following a request by the news outlet ynet, amid an ongoing process by the IDF to dismiss him from permanent service, nearly three years after the Hamas attack.

Amidaror, previously referred to as "Lt. Col. A.", is the son of retired Major General Yaakov Amidaror, a former head of the National Security Council. The Chief of Staff had previously determined that Lt. Col. Amidaror bore responsibility for the events of October 7.

The Supreme Court's decision to allow the publication of his name was based on the lack of security concerns, given the widespread information already available on social media and the public interest. The court noted the significant public interest in the case of an officer who served in such a critical role during a "biblical-scale traumatic event" and who faces dismissal due to alleged professional failures.

An "overarching inquiry" into the Gaza Division's failures, led by retired Major General Sami Turgeman, found that the division failed to protect against the threat from Gaza. This included not adequately identifying enemy changes, insufficient intelligence and operational engagement with specific plans, failure to conduct proper situation assessments and raise alert levels despite available information on the night of October 7, and not taking initiative to alter force deployment or operational readiness for perceived dangerous scenarios.

Lt. Col. Amidaror had appealed his dismissal, arguing it was discriminatory and arbitrary. He contended that he was being singled out for consequences related to broader intelligence and warning failures, while other senior commanders were released without similar repercussions. He also asserted that he had only been in his role for four months prior to the attack and had actively sought to challenge the prevailing intelligence assumptions about Hamas.

In a separate incident, the fathers of two soldiers killed on October 7 confronted Yaakov Amidaror at a security conference, accusing his son's actions of contributing to their daughters' deaths. The elder Amidaror acknowledged his son's involvement in intelligence prior to October 7 but stated he was not responsible for his son's actions.