I wanted to share an emotional Facebook post that Eyal Eshel, father of Roni Eshel, posted after hearing the results of the IDF investigation into the failure at the Nahal Oz base on October 7th, 2023:
And yesterday, it happened.
After a year and a half—after a year and a half of pain, bereavement, much crying, and frustration—yesterday, it happened.
Yesterday, from the late afternoon and into the night, the truth was spoken. After months of requests and demands, a meeting took place between uniformed officers and the bereaved families.
This was an event that should have happened long ago: the presentation of the IDF's investigation into the events of Saturday, October 7th, at Nahal Oz—Israel’s one-day Holocaust that struck the country on the morning of Simchat Torah 2023.
And yesterday, we all gathered at the Glilot base, the Command and Staff College of the Israel Defense Forces.
The same school from which those failed officers emerged—officers who led an entire nation into loss and bereavement.
The same school that produced officers who were not there for the incredible young women in the Nahal Oz operations room. Officers who viewed them as "nobody’s soldiers."
I want the readers to understand that yesterday, the most symbolic, moral, and correct act took place—something that should have happened months ago.
Yesterday, it happened at the school where soldiers and officers of the IDF were trained. Yet, over time, as they became soldiers, they lost their values, their compassion, the spirit of the IDF, which has also been eroding for years, and their morality. Woe to all of us for the loss of morality within the IDF.
Along the way, responsibility also disappeared.
Yesterday, the investigation into the events at Nahal Oz on that fateful Saturday was presented to us, the bereaved families.
At the same time, I must write that yesterday—for the first time—an IDF officer stood before bereaved families, explained the investigation, and laid out the entire story truthfully, without sugarcoating, without selective wording, and without rounding corners. Because the investigation is harsh, and presenting it is even harder. But in a mission, as in any mission, there is no other choice. There is an understanding that after such a long time, the truth must be told.
Yesterday, it was told.
Yesterday, the presentation of the investigation was difficult and unsettling—but it was truthful and, above all, courageous.
No words were filtered—the truth was spoken.
The IDF failed on Saturday, October 7th. The IDF was defeated on Saturday, October 7th.
The General Staff failed. Everyone failed. And no one is doing me any favors by writing a resignation letter and stepping down.
Resignation letters do not impress me. On the contrary, they infuriate me even more.
A whole country was handed on a silver platter to terrorist organizations and the citizens of Gaza.
A whole country that, to this day, is drowning in a swamp filled with the blood of fallen soldiers. A country without an investigation, without leadership, without governance.
Full disclosure: I worked hard to voice the painful truth. I worked hard in conversations with senior officers, two defense ministers, and government officials to deliver the message that there must be an investigation. There must be a formal inquiry, no matter how painful, so that we know what to fix.
Most importantly, so that we understand that this institution called the Israel Defense Forces must get back on track and return to being the strong, honorable, and moral IDF it once was.
Yesterday, the investigation touched on every detail, and it was clear that the seriousness of the situation was conveyed through the painful truth about the failures—failures that built up over time and ultimately led to the collapse of an entire army that Saturday morning.
The investigation was presented by Lt. Col. Ido Kes, who initially received fragmented pieces of information and quickly realized that it was his responsibility to understand what happened and how. Most importantly, he bore the duty of delivering the real story to the bereaved parents. And that is what happened.
Yesterday was the final stretch, from which we left with great hope that the IDF understands the enormity of this event and that significant measures must be taken in the coming days—dismissals as the first step, followed by legal proceedings. It is imperative.
The trust of the country’s citizens in the IDF—and in the entire security system—is currently near zero, almost nonexistent. Not only because these people failed, but because they took no responsibility after the fact. And that is the source of all the bubbling anger that has been simmering for months.
For many hours, we sat and listened to the details. The presentation of the investigation was difficult and shocking. So many facts, so much information, all compiled into a structured timeline, and one undeniable truth.
And today, even the IDF is mourning.
An entire layer of command within the Israel Defense Forces now understands that things can no longer continue as they have. A shift in understanding is happening, and they too are now enlisting in favor of the necessary change.
The truth was spoken:
"We failed, friends. We were not there to protect your daughters. We were not there to rescue them."
I have waited a long time. Yesterday, it was finally said.
This morning, I went to Roni’s grave to tell her about yesterday’s events. And in her own way, with her gentle smile, she smiled at me as if to say, Keep going. Don’t stop.
The mission is not complete.
I returned home and helped Sharon and the other guests prepare Purim gift baskets in Roni’s memory.
Something must change here. The public’s backing in Israel is strong.
I get the impression that we are on the right path.
