A thorough 750-page investigation by the Israeli Air Force details the events during the first hours of the 7 Oct war, highlighting significant failures in safeguarding the country’s airspace and protecting communities near Gaza.

IDF Air Force commander Major General Tomer Bar woke up that Saturday at 06:30 AM when the alarms sounded. By 07:10 AM, he declared war from the Air Force bunker and, according to the investigation’s findings, scrambled the entire force. The first flight log shows that the Air Force went into offensive action at 07:15, 45 minutes after the massacre in the Gaza envelope began when the first aircraft attacked Netiv Ha’Asarah.

Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar is part of the General Staff that failed in its response, and during the investigation, he took full responsibility, admitting in his own words, “We failed.”

A civilian commission investigating the events surrounding 7 Oct 2023 has released a scathing report accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of failing to protect Israeli citizens.

The commission, chaired by retired judge Varda Alsheikh, found that both the government and security agencies failed to heed warnings and prepare adequately, concluding the disaster "was not an act of fate but could have been dramatically minimized."