Former Southern Command chief: "There is no word in Hebrew to grasp the magnitude of the disaster" | Listen
Maj. Gen. (res.) Tal Russo, former head of the IDF Southern Command, said in an interview on Radio 103FM marking three years since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that only the heroism of civilians, police, soldiers, and volunteer organizations stopped the attack, and that the IDF was not present. He called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Tal Russo, former head of the IDF Southern Command, gave an interview today (Wednesday) on Radio 103FM marking three years since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Russo said that only the heroism of civilians, police, soldiers, and volunteer organizations stopped the attack, and that the IDF was not present. "There was no state, the IDF was not there," he said. He added that he has been frustrated for three years and finds it difficult to process the event. Russo called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, saying that internal investigations by the military and various bodies are insufficient. According to him, "There is not even a word in Hebrew to grasp the magnitude of the disaster, the failure, the massacre." He also referred to Hamas, saying that during his time the organization was an enemy, but later became a partner — something he did not understand. Russo claimed that Hamas received funds from Israel and developed, and that he identified erosion and arrogance among commanders and politicians even before the attack.