Bereaved families from the Din V’Tzedek Forum and the Gevurah Forum called Tuesday for the establishment of a “national commission of inquiry” into the failures surrounding October 7, saying it should investigate every relevant institution, including the judicial system, Ynet reported.

Dozens of bereaved families gathered at the “Gevurah Tent” in Jerusalem to mark three years since the outbreak of the war and demand the establishment of a commission they say would earn the trust of all sectors of Israeli society.

“Dozens of families have gathered here today,” said Itzik Pitosi, whose son Yishai Pitosi, H’yd, fell in battle at Nachal Oz and who serves as acting chairman of the Gevurah Forum. “Three years ago, our sons and daughters rushed into battle with incredible courage and self-sacrifice — all for victory, for the residents of the south and north, for future generations and for the continuation of life.”

“Alongside that heroism, the depth of the failure also became clear — the complacency, arrogance and weak concepts of a mistaken worldview that led to the devastating consequences,” he said.

“Mr. Prime Minister, we call on you from here, from the Gevurah Tent in Jerusalem, for the sake of the living and the fallen: Establish a national commission of inquiry into the events. A commission that will investigate all the systems, everyone — the military, security, political and judicial systems. Yes, the judicial system as well, which also bears responsibility alongside the other systems.”

Pitosi called for “a commission that will operate without bias, with broad investigative tools, the necessary resources and the authority to recommend punishment and prosecution — a commission that will bring justice and earn the trust of all parts of the nation.”

“Not a commission appointed by those who have lost the public’s trust — the High Court, which only a few days ago we saw was incapable of looking terror supporters in the eye,” he said. “A balanced commission with genuine representation for all parts of the nation.”

Orly Cohen, whose son Amit was murdered in a shelter at Re’im and who is a member of the Din V’Tzedek Forum, said: “We, the families of those murdered on October 7, demand truth and justice for our loved ones. Revealing the truth is a testament written in the blood of our loved ones.”

“We will not allow the establishment of a commission of inquiry called a ‘state commission’ that is composed by a High Court justice who is at the heart of the social controversy and has lost the trust of a large portion of the public,” she said. “It cannot be denied that for years the High Court intervened in security policy and restrained IDF operations.”

“We represent hundreds of families affected by October 7 who do not trust a state commission of inquiry appointed by Supreme Court justices to serve as the legal flak jacket for those who abandoned our security,” Cohen continued.

“We proposed legislation for a national commission of inquiry based on the model of the commission that investigated the events of 9/11. There are elected officials who are making cynical use of this painful issue and declaring their intentions even though they do not believe in this commission.”

“The upcoming elections are a referendum on the issue of a commission of inquiry,” she said. “We call on Am Yisrael to give their votes only to candidates who will show responsibility toward everyone and declare that they will work to establish a national and balanced commission immediately after the elections.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)