Katz to Halevi: All Oct. 7 probes must be done by end of January

Katz also threatened Halevi that he would freeze all potential high command appointments until he receives the probe results.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB DECEMBER 19, 2024 14:12

Israel Katz attends a replacing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday told IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi that all October 7 disaster probes must be finished by the end of January.

Katz also threatened Halevi that he would freeze all potential high command appointments until he receives the probe results.

The defense minister has blocked multiple mid-level appointments recently, saying that the officers in question could not be promoted until their role in the October 7, 2023 disaster was clarified.

This latest move by Katz sets the stage for massive political and military bombshells.

Militarily, Katz, in some ways, is moving the IDF into the post-Halevi phase.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar during a situational assessment on Mount Hermon. December 17, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

One of the most fundamental roles of the IDF chief is his appointees' power. It both allows him to shape the IDF's present and future according to his strategic leanings and gives him greater influence over the various officer levels below who hope he will give them promotions.

Halevi likely to resign when October 7 probes published 

Further, Halevi has said repeatedly that he is likely to resign around when the October 7 probes are published.

A recent letter by Halevi seemed to set the end of February as a goal date for publicizing the probe results.

It was unclear what brought about Katz's latest move to bring that date forward or whether Katz might allow delaying sharing the results with the general public until a later date and merely wanted the results himself. 

Publication of the October 7 probes will also have political implications as there will be rising additional calls for a state inquiry of the political echelon, given that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blocked any such probe from even starting until now.

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Other political reasons that Katz may have made the current push now could relate to an impending hostage deal which could end the war in Gaza more formally and would leave less reasons to delay publicizing the October 7 probes as well as to Netanyahu's trial, which is distracting from Netanyahu and the Likud's messaging. 

Publishing the October 7 probes could give Netanyahu another major point of attacking the IDF in the public sphere.