IDF chief says Oct. 7 probes concluded, vows larger military

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday concluded its investigations into the failures surrounding Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, with IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir saying the findings must shape the military’s strategy for the future.

At a senior command conference at the Glilot base attended by officers from the rank of brigadier general and above, the IDF presented the main lessons from the Oct. 7 inquiries, along with processes for implementing them and mechanisms to monitor their execution.

Zamir said the military must expand its force structure to compensate for Israel’s lack of geographic depth and meet growing missions amid threats on multiple fronts.

“One of our greatest lessons is the need to expand our security margins,” said Zamir. “The State of Israel is geographically small and lacks territorial depth, while facing multi-front threats. ... The size of the IDF is our strategic depth. Therefore, we must expand the IDF and adapt it to its expanding missions.”

He said the IDF was building its strategy around readiness for a surprise war, including the thwarting of severe threats as they develop.

“On Oct. 7, the IDF failed catastrophically,” Zamir said, adding that the military recovered and achieved what he called a “historic and unprecedented multi-front victory,” crediting troops, commanders and cooperation among the armed services.

The conference opened with a moment of silence for those killed in the Oct. 7 massacre. Zamir also presented a certificate of appreciation to Chief Warrant Officer “V.” of Unit 8200, who had warned before the attack that Hamas was prepared for a large-scale surprise assault.

Calling V. an example of “intellectual courage” and professionalism, Zamir said the military’s organizational culture must not permit “people-pleasing discourse, intellectual tyranny or the suppression of critical thinking.”

Zamir said the conference marked the beginning of a longer process of reviewing the war. He said 2027 would be designated as a year for investigating the war as a whole and drawing both theater-specific and IDF-wide lessons. The continuing review process will include inquiries into Operation Roaring Lion before a broader summation of the war’s lessons.