‘Stop evading, stop delaying’: 200 former hostages, families urge Netanyahu to start Oct. 7 probe
Security camera footage showing the entrance to Moshav Ein Habesor during the October 7, 2023, massacre. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
In a letter, the groups demanded “truth, justice, and accountability,” saying only a state commission has the legal authority to investigate decision-making before and after the attack.
More than 200 former Hamas captives and families of the hostages, together with the October Council, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to immediately establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7 and the handling of the hostages, or resign.
In a letter released by the groups, they demanded “truth, justice, and accountability,” saying only a state commission has the legal authority to investigate decision-making before and after the attack. The organizers described the appeal as marking the 800th day since the October 7 massacre, and said the campaign will intensify in the coming days.
Signatories include former captives Yarden Bibas, Arbel Yehud, Ariel and Sharon Cunio, Luis Har, Gadi Moses, and Amit Sosna, along with Ohad Ben Ami. Families of slain hostages also joined, among them relatives of Shiri, Arie,l and Kfir Bibas, whose murders in captivity shocked the country. Background on the Bibas case appears here.
The letter says a state commission must independently examine prewar intelligence and defense failures, the hours-long abandonment of border communities, and decisions throughout the hostage negotiations, including delays and public statements that may have impacted captives’ lives and health. It stresses that a political committee “cannot investigate itself,” and that only a statutory commission can subpoena witnesses and documents.
“Stop evading, stop delaying, stop whitewashing”
“We call on the government of Israel to stop evading, stop delaying, and stop whitewashing, and to establish a full state commission of inquiry at once,” the groups wrote. “We demand truth. We demand justice. We demand responsibility. If you will not take responsibility and establish such a commission as the public demands, step aside and let the people decide.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on December 8, 2025 (credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)
The demand comes amid months of disputes over the format and timing of any inquiry. Bereaved families have repeatedly pressed Netanyahu to establish a formal state commission, and the High Court has required explanations for the government’s stance.
Netanyahu and ministers have floated alternatives and criticized potential involvement of former security officials, prompting criticism over credibility. Rallies led by the October Council have urged a statutory probe with subpoena powers.“Without investigating the truth…”
“Without investigating the truth, we cannot ensure that October 7 never happens again. Without accountability, we cannot honor the memory of those who fell, those who were abducted, and those still held in Gaza. A state commission of inquiry now,” the letter read.
