Bereaved Families Demand Criminal Probe of Netanyahu Over Response to Oct. 7

Bereaved families of victims from the October 7th attacks have urgently petitioned the Attorney General and the head of the Police's Investigations and Intelligence Division to immediately launch a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The demand stems from a complaint filed by the families, which alleges serious criminal offenses related to a document Netanyahu submitted to the State Comptroller regarding the events of October 7th. In a joint statement, the families expressed "well-founded concern" over potential criminal acts by the Prime Minister, urging swift and impartial investigations. "The citizens of Israel deserve to know that their leaders are beyond reproach and not shrouded in heavy suspicion of criminal offenses," the statement read.

Hagit and Robi Chen, parents of fallen Armored Corps Sergeant Major Itay Chen, who was killed in battle on October 7th, explained their motivation for the complaint. They sharply criticized the Prime Minister's conduct concerning the Comptroller's review. "On the morning of October 7th, when the country wasn't there, Itay and his team didn't wait for orders or look for someone to blame. They took responsibility and entered the ring of fire to save Israelis, and paid for it with their lives," they stated. The Chens added, "Three years later, the Prime Minister is doing the exact opposite: he submits a document of half-truths to the State Comptroller, whose sole purpose is to explain that everyone is responsible except him. We expect the same responsibility that Itay showed, and the same pursuit of truth, from the Prime Minister. That is why we filed the complaint."