The IDF will launch an investigation into an incident in which 13 hostages were killed in a house that was shelled on October 7th in Be'eri after 99th Division Commander Brigadier General Barak Hiram ordered to do so, Haaretz revealed on Tuesday.
The two survivors of the incident, Yasmin Porat and Hadas Dagan, testified that the house was shelled by a tank. It is suspected that the commander of the 99th Division who commanded the fighting in the kibbutz, Brigadier General Barak Hiram, ordered the tank crew to fire on the Cohen home even though he knew hostages were being held in it.
The incident made headlines after Hiram was interviewed by the New York Times, during which he said that after negotiations with the terrorists failed he ordered the tank to "break-in, even at the cost of harming civilians," and in footage from an IDF helicopter published by Channel 12, the IDF tank is seen firing shells at the house.
Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has appointed Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even to lead the General Staff investigation mechanism and he formed an investigation team that will work in coordination with the Chief Military Prosecutor, so as to not be subordinate to the Chief of Staff.
The IDF Spokesperson commented on the Haaretz report: "The military is currently activating the General Staff's investigation mechanism to investigate reports and complaints about the violation of Israeli and international law during the war. The mechanism is an independent body, with access to all materials relevant to the investigation of many incidents that occurred during the war. The mechanism has begun the process of collecting data and information regarding the various incidents that occurred and is currently in the initial stages of the investigation. The mechanism has worked during every war and military operation in the past. All cases that will be checked by the mechanism will be transferred upon conclusion to the Military Prosecutor, which will study the results and rule if there is a suspicion of a crime that justifies an investigation by the Military Police Investigations Department."
Regarding the investigation into the incident in Be'eri, the IDF Spokesperson stated: "The incident will be investigated in a thorough and detailed manner, like all of the events of October 7th, the moment the intensity of the war allows it."