Families of Victims Present Findings on Pre-War Failures

At the "Space That Remained" exhibition in Jaffa, families of murder victims, fallen soldiers, and hostages presented findings from an independent investigation they conducted. The families stated their research is based on dozens of meetings with current and former senior political and security officials. According to the presented data, senior officials testified that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused urgent meetings requested by the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad, and the IDF, who sought to warn him about the security crisis on the eve of the war. It was also claimed that then-Shin Bet head Ronen Bar had alerted the Prime Minister that "Sinwar is planning something big," and that the security establishment had prepared over ten options to assassinate the Hamas leader, none of which were executed. The families also presented testimonies indicating that the political echelon was aware of intelligence regarding Qatari money targets and had instructed the security forces to act passively to maintain calm in the Gaza Strip. Allegations were also raised about the Defense Minister and Military Secretary being excluded from relevant discussions, and about unusual changes in protocols and the collection of discussion transcripts around the Prime Minister. Reut Hacht Adri, mother of Ido Adri, murdered at the Nova music festival, stated the findings are facts and testimonies to be submitted to a state inquiry commission. Hostage survivor Sagi Dekel Chen described the personal difficulty of attending the event, noting that seeing the belongings of the murdered, including those who tried to save him and whom he and his fellow emergency squad members tried to save, caused him distress. Dekel Chen shared that everyday activities have become triggers for anxiety, and he is coping with his new reality as a survivor while others remain captive. Other family members also spoke, including Ofri Bivas Levy, sister of hostage Yarden Bivas, who called for the renewal of the contract between the state and its citizens based on accountability. Sharon Ashal, mother of fallen lookout Ronni Ashal, demanded an independent investigation into why lookout warnings were ignored. Amit Idan, brother of murdered photographer Roi Idan, recounted a conversation with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who allegedly claimed a state inquiry commission has not been formed due to a lack of trust in the judicial system. Sports commentator Shlomo Sherf, whose granddaughter Mai Na'im was killed, urged Israeli society to examine the failures and learn lessons for the future.