The October Council, a forum of hostages’ families and bereaved families, threatened in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if he does not respond to them by this Tuesday, the organization would escalate its efforts immediately to establish a state commission of inquiry, it announced on Sunday.
“Prime minister, after almost 600 days in which we have acted with excessive statesmanship, and in light of your explicit statement that you have no intention of establishing a state commission of inquiry, we are left with no choice,” it said.
The council comprises over 1,500 bereaved families, hostages, and survivors of the October 7 massacre. It stated that this is the third appeal made to the prime minister without receiving a response. “At the same time, we are being exposed to the fact that meetings are being held with many other organizations – but not with us,” the council said.
Investigation obstruction and harming Israel's security
The letter claims that the Israeli government’s decision not to establish a state investigation committee, which Netanyahu personally stated in a video on social media, constitutes “obstruction of the investigation” and severely harms the country’s security.
“We have no choice. Our demand is not political – it is your ignoring us that takes on a political character,” the organization added. Tuesday, marked by the organization as the deadline for Netanyahu to respond to them, will mark exactly 600 days since October 7, 2023.