Israeli Minister: Me and Netanyahu Should Be Investigated Over October 7 Attacks

(Patria) - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday called for a state investigation into the failures related to the Hamas attack on October 7, saying that both he and his boss – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – should be investigated.

The minister commented on this at a graduation ceremony for new military officers, which was also attended by Netanyahu, whose coalition government is already shaken by internal conflicts.

A state investigation, Gallant said, "must be objective, it must relate to all of us, those who make decisions, as well as those who implement them, meaning the government, the army, and the security agencies".

"It must investigate me as the Minister of Defense, it must investigate the Prime Minister," Gallant emphasized.

Netanyahu has previously rejected calls to launch a state investigation into the Hamas attack on October 7, which caught Israel unprepared and led to the war in Gaza, saying that an investigation into what happened should be conducted after the war ends.

Only the government can decide on the formation of a state investigative commission, which has broad powers and whose findings carry weight. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court selects its members.

Gallant has previously broken ties with Netanyahu. Last year, after months of protests across the country against the government's plans to limit the powers of the supreme court, Gallant said that the proposed law should be rejected, warning that public disputes could harm national security.

Netanyahu immediately dismissed him, causing tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets in support of Gallant. The veteran politician eventually relented and kept Gallant in his cabinet.

Gallant has since clashed with Netanyahu again over the strategy to be applied in Gaza, prompting some members of their Likud party to demand his dismissal from office.