Bereaved families of victims of the Nova music festival who attended the IDF’s Wednesday morning presentation of its investigation into the massacre left in anger, one after the other.
“We will not receive any answers until a real investigative committee with real authority is established,” families told Maariv. Several attendees also left after feeling unwell.
On Thursday, another meeting will be held with survivors of the massacre and their families, but many of them arrived on Wednesday to show support for the bereaved families.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the investigation was “superficial,” with facts that were “inaccurate at best, lies at worst.”
“Key questions remain unanswered: Why doesn’t the investigation include the massacre in the shelters and access roads? When did different ranks know about the Nova festival? And why is there no synchronization in the investigation between the IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency]?” it said.
Independent investigations
Many from the October Council, which represents families directly impacted by the October 7 massacre, have conducted “independent investigations” to learn what happened to their relatives, adding that it is “unacceptable” that nearly two years after the October 7 massacre, no state commission of inquiry has been established.
The forum said the investigation is not a substitute for a state commission of inquiry that would investigate everything and everyone, including the political, security, military, and intelligence echelons.
“Without lessons learned, the next disaster is already at our doorstep. Only a state commission of inquiry will provide some peace to our souls and prevent the next disaster,” it said.
Nissim, father of Shani Louk, a 23-year-old tattoo artist who was killed at the festival, said he left the meeting with few answers.
“The only answer that added to information I didn’t know was that Shani’s car was used as a vehicle or taxi for kidnapping Israelis,” he told 103FM. “That hurt me, and it’s something I didn’t know. Apparently, when they kidnapped her, they used her car to kidnap Israelis.
“Although the army tried to explain the situation, they apologized, [saying] ‘we were not prepared because of the conception that Hamas was deterred.’”
Louk said the police had functioned excellently and heroically during the massacre.
“Talking about the past is really difficult, but we need to understand that good forces are coming together to improve the situation – I say this because I believe we are in the midst of a struggle, but in the end we will become stronger.”