24 hours after October 7 I wrote about the failure — and this is what I missed

Zalman Shoval, in a retrospective article, returns to the text he wrote 24 hours after October 7, 2023, and analyzes what was missing from it: proper reference to the role of the political echelon, the deterrence concept, and the impact of the protests and judicial reform on the decision to attack. He calls for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

Zalman Shoval, a columnist for Maariv, returns to an article he wrote on October 8, 2023, just 24 hours after the October 7 massacre. The current article, published on October 13, 2026, is a critical retrospective: Shoval identifies what he missed in his original writing. He notes that the 2023 article focused on the military, intelligence, and technological failure, and called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry — a position he still holds today. However, he admits that he did not give proper attention to the role of the political echelon and the concept that 'Hamas is deterred,' which was shared by both sides of the political aisle and was also declared by the Prime Minister. Another point he missed, he says, is the connection between the temptation for Hamas to attack and the protests, calls for refusal to report for reserve duty, and the judicial reform. Shoval argues that a state commission of inquiry must examine all these factors, and offers a solution to the chairperson dilemma using existing law.