An official from the IDF Southern Command has accused the military of covering up the truth about its response to the Hamas attack on October 7. Testifying anonymously before an independent civilian commission, the official alleged that internal investigations conducted by the IDF were riddled with conflicts of interest and failed to reveal the true events. The official claimed that almost every investigation led by IDF ground forces was far from accurate, saying, “They are motivated by a strategy of protecting each other.” He raised concerns about a colonel tasked with leading a probe, who was set for promotion by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, questioning how such an officer could conduct an impartial investigation. The official referred to this as a “clear conflict of interest.” Additionally, the official revealed that when they questioned why they hadn’t been included in another investigation, they were told that it was to “protect the general.” They further expressed that families of the surveillance soldiers, many of whom died or were involved in monitoring the Gaza border before the attack, were not being told the full truth. Testimonies from former surveillance soldiers and the families of those killed have previously revealed issues with technical malfunctions in monitoring equipment and inadequate training on how to respond if their bases were breached. These families have been demanding a thorough investigation into the IDF’s handling of their children’s warnings before the October 7 attack. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)