Netanyahu Refuses October 7 Inquiry as Bereaved Families Clash Outside Court

by | Apr 23, 2026 | News

Opposition leaders and bereaved families are demanding accountability for the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre, as Israel’s government continues to resist establishing a formal state commission of inquiry.

Outside the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem on Thursday — less than 48 hours after Yom HaZikaron — families on opposing sides of the political divide clashed, a scene that drew sharp condemnation across the political spectrum.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of being “afraid of the truth.” Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman pledged to make establishing a commission of inquiry the first act of the next government. Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, whose son Gal fell in the war, said the government was “leading us to a situation where bereaved families are attacking one another — this is the essence of this government: to stir up strife and refuse to take responsibility.”

Benny Gantz of Blue and White called the scenes heartbreaking and renewed his call for elections and a unity government. The petitions before the High Court seek to compel the government to establish a formal investigation into the intelligence and security failures that allowed Hamas to carry out the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

The families of October 7 victims — and the fallen soldiers who followed — deserve answers. The question of who bears responsibility for that morning’s catastrophic failures remains painfully unresolved.

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