Israel’s state comptroller accuses army of obstructing investigations into Oct. 7 failures

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman accused the military on Sunday of hindering investigations into the failures that led to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

“No external body has shown objectivity in examining the failures,” Englman said during a conference by Israeli media outlets The Jerusalem Post, Maariv and Walla.

He said his office is conducting a series of investigations related to the failures that led to the Oct. 7 attack.

"We are nearing completion of this report, but to finalize it, we need to meet with three individuals in the military," Englman added.

He emphasized that Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi believes that the State Comptroller's office should not intervene in military issues, declaring him "wrong."

The State Comptroller's office is Israel's central institution for overseeing various state agencies to ensure public financial accountability.

The comptroller is elected by the Knesset (parliament) for a seven-year term, with Englman holding the position since 2019.

Englman said his office is investigating security responsibilities regarding the settlements of Sderot and Ofakim near Gaza.

"The army was not present there on Oct. 7,” he added, characterizing this absence as a “major failure."

“A year has passed, and no external party has shown objectivity in verifying these failures,” he said.

Last May, Englman had accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the military of not cooperating with the investigations into the Oct. 7 failures.

Netanyahu, however, insists that any official inquiry should occur only after the war concludes.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,600 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 96,200 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara