October 7th Massacre Anniversary: 'October Council' Releases New Documents and Testimonies

Three years after the October 7th massacre, the "October Council" opened its commemoration week with an exhibition titled "The Space That Remained" at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Jaffa. The exhibition features personal belongings and displays honoring the victims and fallen, alongside new information and testimonies gathered by families from senior political and security officials. The council announced that further documents, testimonies, and revelations will be disclosed in the coming days as part of their effort to uncover the full picture.

Among the revelations presented were claims that the head of the Shin Bet informed the Prime Minister that "Sinwar is talking about something big." Another testimony suggested that the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad, and the IDF Chief of Staff requested a joint meeting with the Prime Minister to warn about the consequences of the security crisis. Additionally, testimony was presented regarding two serious warnings shown to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the hospital. The council stated that following these warnings, Netanyahu requested to convey the messages to opposition leaders after understanding their gravity.

Further documents, allegedly containing parts omitted from publicly released protocols, were also displayed. These documents reportedly include warnings about deterioration and escalation towards a confrontation with Hamas. The council emphasized that these items were presented as testimonies and questions requiring investigation by a state commission of inquiry. The exhibition itself tells the stories of those killed and fallen on October 7th through their personal belongings, focusing on their lives before their deaths. It also includes artistic installations, such as 44 ceramic stars for the murdered children and a "sticker serenade" incorporating families' memorial messages.

Reut Rechet Adri, mother of Ido Adri, stated, "Three years after October 7th, we know one thing with certainty: we can argue about responsibility. We can argue about interpretation. We can argue about politics. But we must no longer argue about our right to know the truth." Ofri Bivas Levi, sister of Yarden Bivas and aunt to the Bivas children, initiated the exhibition and said, "Three years, and we are still waiting for the contract between the state and its citizens to be renewed, a contract based on truth and security, justice and values. A contract that tells the citizen: the state sees you. The state protects you. And if it failed, it is also willing to look at the failure, investigate it, take responsibility, and learn from it."

Sharon Eshel, mother of watchtower soldier Ronnie Eshel, requested, "Truth. An independent and impartial investigation that will examine how it happened that the girls who were the eyes of the country saw the danger, and the country did not reach them. And whoever was responsible must take responsibility." Amit Idan, brother of photographer Roi Idan, stated, "All we are waiting for is the obvious: say we made a mistake, and finish your chapter in the history of the people of Israel. Let us begin to pick up the pieces and build a life from the beginning."

Shlomo Sharf, grandfather of May Naim, who was murdered at the Nova music festival, asked, "Three years have passed, and I still ask myself how we reached this terrible moment? What do we as a society, as a state, have to learn from it? To examine the failures, draw lessons, and build a better future for our children, our grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren to come." Hundreds of bereaved families, hostage families, released hostages, and massacre survivors attended the opening ceremony. The organizers stated this is the kickoff for a series of publications and activities by the "October Council" in the coming days, with more information to be gradually released.

The council's central message throughout the week will be the connection between memory and the demand for fact-finding and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry. Attendees at the exhibition opening included former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Benny Gantz, Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid, and dozens of Knesset members and public figures. The exhibition is open to the public throughout the memorial week.