"My parents believed in the state, it wasn't there to save them"

Shir Matias, the eldest daughter of Shlomi and Shahar Matias, who were murdered in their home in Kibbutz Holit on October 7, writes about the broken trust between citizens and the state. She notes the honesty of Mira Shoshani, a senior Shin Bet official who took responsibility for her daughter's death, and demands a state commission of inquiry to expose the failures that led to the disaster and prevent the next one.

Shir Matias, the eldest daughter of Shlomi and Shahar Matias, who were murdered in their home in Kibbutz Holit on October 7, 2023, writes a poignant personal column about the broken trust between citizens and the state. She opens with a quote from Menachem Begin to Golda Meir after the Yom Kippur War: "If you knew - it is very serious, and if you didn't know - it is even more serious," emphasizing that in a disaster, the state is responsible. Matias refers to an interview with Mira Shoshani, the most senior woman in the Shin Bet who lost her daughter on October 7, who took full responsibility for the failure without looking for blame. She claims her parents were abandoned in their safe room and murdered before the IDF arrived, and directs tough questions to the government: why did it leave Hamas in power, why did it allow Qatari money to flow without oversight, and what did it do about the warnings. She demands a state commission of inquiry not only to close a circle, but to know what the failures and shortcomings were that led to the murder of her parents, and how to prevent the next October 7.