Sources say IDF committee for October 7 not yet formed due to internal tensions between Zamir and Yadai

Preliminary evaluations by the Israel Defense Forces suggest that the conclusions of the second Turgeman committee could lead to significant changes within the defense sector, due to their critical review of the October 7 incidents. Sources within the General Staff reported on Friday that the committee tasked with applying lessons from the IDF's shortcomings on October 7 has not yet been formed because of disagreements between IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and his deputy Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai.

Zamir had previously instructed the creation of a committee to execute the Turgeman committees recommendations. The IDF reaffirmed in a Thursday statement that the committee, which is expected to be led by Yadai, "will be established."

Officials from Yadai's office have approached multiple personnel to join the committee, including officers involved in the October 7 investigations. Some candidates, however, lacked the "green rating," a mark of high investigative standards, which drew criticism from General Staff members.

The IDF has not provided details on the committee's operational process, its specific objectives once formed, the corps or directorates it will function within, or the expected duration of its work.

Senior IDF officers expressed surprise that while Zamir instructed the implementation of the Turgeman committee's recommendations, he did not adopt the sharp critiques of senior commanders made by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman regarding leadership failures on October 7. Instead, Zamir has implemented only limited actions, mostly affecting officers who have already stepped down.

Meanwhile, the committee led by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Turgeman, which is responsible for completing the initial investigations of Sami Turgeman's committee, has not yet concluded its work.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit stated, "The mechanism for implementing the lessons is currently being developed and will be announced soon."

Author: Ava Mitchell