Jerusalem, 23 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s military chief will begin imposing personal sanctions and take command measures against officers involved in the failures of Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir originally intended to make these decisions earlier but delayed them due to ongoing operational developments. The sanctions will primarily target senior commanders considered responsible, as well as subordinate officers who held command responsibilities that day. Some of those subject to the sanctions have already retired, while others remain in active service. The Israel Defense Forces has not disclosed names or details of the measures.
Earlier this month, Zamir stated he would take “personal decisions” regarding senior officers based on findings from an external panel of experts appointed to review the October 7 probe. The initial investigations had been led by former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Upon assuming his role in March, Zamir established the external panel to reassess those investigations, which concluded that most were inadequate and some wholly unacceptable.
Zamir is scheduled to conclude meetings with the relevant officers by Sunday evening, after which the IDF will release an official statement detailing the sanctions. In parallel, similar discussions are taking place among lower-ranking officers.
The IDF has released a series of detailed internal probes examining how roughly 5,000 terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were able to storm Israeli communities and overrun military positions. The reports reveal that the army’s chain of command collapsed amid the chaos, as soldiers found themselves vastly outnumbered.
However, an independent review of the investigations by a panel of retired military officers led by Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman found flaws in many of the 25 different reports.
“The surprise of October 7 did not emerge from a vacuum,” said the Turgeman report, which was released on November 11. “Direct intelligence had accumulated which, if professionally analyzed, could and should have led to an alert and a significant operational response.” The report highlighted six major causes of the disaster: a conceptual failure in understanding Hamas’ intentions, intelligence shortcomings, neglect of long-standing defense plans, flawed organizational culture, persistent gaps between assessed threats and operational readiness, and deficient decision-making during the attack.
The review also identified systemic problems that had persisted for years. Warnings from senior IDF officials in 2023 suggested that Israel’s perceived internal divisions could embolden enemies, yet the army did not adjust alert levels or force deployments. Longstanding intelligence reports, known internally as the “Jericho Wall” plan, detailing Hamas’s preparations, were dismissed as unrealistic. The panel also found gaps in coordination between the IDF, police, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and other government agencies.
Zamir’s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, stepped down from the position in January.
The sanctions will likely fuel further calls for a state commission of inquiry into the government’s handling of the attack. The army’s investigations did not include decisions made by the political echelon. Netanyahu has resisted calls for a formal state commission of inquiry, calling it “politically biased.” Critics accuse him of delaying and weakening the probe. Such commissions, led by senior Supreme Court justices, can summon witnesses, collect evidence, and make recommendations, though the government is not required to follow them.
Israel’s last commission, investigating a Mount Meron stampede that killed 45, held Netanyahu personally responsible in 2024.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of three Israelis and one Thai national are still held in Gaza.
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