The IDF's investigative teams to examine the failures, perceptions, and events that preceded Hamas's attack on the communities of the Gaza Strip on October 7 will be presented to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in the first week of July. The findings will be presented for six to eight weeks by the investigation teams, depending on the progress of the fighting.

In early July, the IDF will also present the investigation of the shooting of hostages in Kibbutz Be'eri, in which 12 people were killed, after a tank fired shells into the dining hall building at the order of Brigadier General Barak Hiram, commander of the 99th Brigade. The investigation is led by Major General Miki Edelstein.

The first line of inquiry focuses on "the development of the concept of Gaza" - with emphasis on the border fence and the characteristics of the defense from 2018. It is believed that a five-year review will provide sufficient information to understand the processes that led to the largest security failure in the history of the state.

In this context, the development of the intelligence and the concept against Hamas will be examined, the examination of the elements of the defense and the range of operational plans prepared in the army against the threats emanating from the Gaza Strip. In the IDF, it was explained that it was decided to deal first with this issue out of the understanding that it is one of the main factors that led to the formation of concepts that influenced the assessments of the situation and the use of force in the Gaza Strip, including the plans that were formulated before October 7.

In parallel, the Chief of Staff will also be presented with battlefield inquiries in the communities and kibbutzim. The IDF said that the order of presentation was determined according to the level of maturity and readiness of the investigation as it is a complex investigation involving many parties: IDF soldiers, members of the civilian security squads, residents, families of the hostages and the fallen.

The army is investigating about 40 battlefields in communities using 20 investigation teams, headed by senior officers from the rank of colonel to brigadier general. The Chief of Staff will be presented with preliminary findings from the events of the night between October 6 and 7, the nightly situation assessments, the abnormal events identified, and the failure to prevent the invasion of the communities in the Gaza Strip despite the understanding that something unusual was taking place, which led to a nighttime consultation between senior officials.

The IDF says that the aim is to complete the presentation of the inquiries by the end of August, but since the army is in the midst of a war, changes may be made. It was also stressed that the inquiry process is internal, designed for learning and drawing lessons for the continuation of the war and for the next campaign, and is not a substitute for an external examination mechanism such as a state commission of inquiry.

Some of the inquiries will also include personal recommendations against officers and commanders in the IDF.