The October Council, a forum of hostages' families and bereaved families, issued a statement on Saturday condemning comments made by Natan Eshel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former chief of staff.
The council called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to investigate the October 7 attack, asserting that those who deny its significance should not be allowed to bury the truth.
"By the time of the elections, everyone will forget about the October 7 disaster," Eshel had said in a Times of Israel interview. He added, "The failure and disaster of October 7 will not come up at all in the next elections. It is clear to everyone that the army and the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] messed up. Netanyahu may be ministerially responsible, but he is not guilty. Removing the Iranian threat is far more significant than the October disaster."
The council, composed of over 1,500 bereaved families, former hostages, and survivors of the massacre, condemned Eshel’s remarks as "intolerable" and accused Netanyahu’s circle of attempting to erase the memory of the October 7 attack.
They argued that the failure to establish a state investigation committee, as required by law, has made people forget about the massacre. They believe that such a commission would thoroughly investigate the facts and allow Israel to learn from the tragedy.
Council promises to intensify its efforts for a state commission
In its statement, the council vowed to intensify efforts to ensure that a state commission is established. "We will not give in to the deniers of the massacre," the statement reads. "The horrors of October 7 cannot and will not be erased from the national consciousness. We will not forgive those who seek to bury the truth."
It concluded, "Anyone who believes the horrors of October 7 can be erased from the national consciousness does not understand the gravity of the rift and is unfit for leadership. We will not forget, we will not forgive, and we will not allow those responsible to evade accountability."
The statement ended with a call to action: "Instead of attempting to rewrite history, the government must immediately establish a state commission of inquiry to uncover the full truth. This is not a political issue—it is a moral and national imperative."