The families of the Israel Defense Forces field observers slain during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nahal Oz base near Gaza expressed outrage on Tuesday after receiving from the IDF what they say are only partial recordings of the daughters’ final hours.
The release of communications recordings from the base was mandated by Israel’s Supreme Court. The military released the tapes, but the families say they have received only partial or edited versions.
The audio recordings released by the IDF cover communications on the base only up to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 6, and two brief recordings from 4:47 a.m. on Oct. 7, omitting crucial periods on the night before and the morning of the attack. This partial release comes after months of legal battles and a High Court petition demanding full access to the recordings.
“The IDF continues to disrespect the families of the surveillance soldiers. The promise to deliver the recordings turned out to be only partial, ignoring the explicit request for the full picture,” stated family representatives in a joint response.
“We have no recording, just a few seconds. Is this what we fought for and had to petition the High Court for?” said Yigal Cohen, father of fallen soldier Hadar Miriam Cohen. The recordings contain only one-side of the communications, he added.
The release affects the families of 10 soldiers killed at the post, as well as the family of Noa Marciano, who was captured by Hamas on Oct. 7 and later killed in Gaza. These families had filed several requests since July 2024 to access the bases’ complete communications record.
Later on Tuesday evening, the IDF posted an official response on X: “The Israel Defense Forces is committed to supporting bereaved families and does not withhold any information from them. The recordings were provided yesterday after extensive examinations and thorough work on the matter. The transferred recordings are those in which the voices of the surveillance soldiers were identified. The IDF will allow all families to schedule a session to listen to the complete recordings up to the start of the terrorist attack.”
In a statement issued by his office, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the IDF to provide the families with the full recordings of their last radio communications, “with the exception of limited sections that are restricted due to clear security reasons, and this is due to the need for full transparency with the families.”
In a new statement following Katz’s, the IDF reiterated its commitment to the bereaved families, insisting no information was being hidden from them.
The families’ legal representatives have confirmed plans to take the matter back to the High Court, and insist on the complete disclosure of all communications on the base in the 24 hours prior to the attack.