Shin Bet Chief Orders Removal of October 7 Memorial Corner, Report Says

Shin Bet chief David Zini ordered the removal of a memorial corner at the entrance to the agency’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to a report Thursday by journalist Josh Breiner in Haaretz. The display had been dedicated to Shin Bet employees killed since October 7.

Haaretz said Zini justified the move by arguing that “we do not need to see the failure in front of our eyes every day.” People close to him were quoted as saying the memorial corner reflected “defeatism.”

A security source told the paper the order stunned staff at headquarters when it was issued. The report did not say when the memorial corner was dismantled or whether it has since been restored.

In response, the Shin Bet said the October 7 failure was “one of the biggest and most painful failures the State of Israel has known.” It added that, in Zini’s view, showing only some of the fallen “minimizes the failure” and presents only part of the “terrible disaster” that occurred. The agency said its headquarters also has a Wall of Remembrance displaying all of the fallen, not just a selected few.