Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will head the ministerial team that will determine the scope of a contentious government-led commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught, Hebrew media outlets reported on Thursday.

The reported decision would give the prime minister wide influence over the direction of the investigative panel proposed by the government, instead of the independent state inquiry demanded by the most of the public.

It was met with swift denunciation from political opponents of Netanyahu, who accused the premier of trying to “whitewash” his responsibility for the failures leading up to and during the savage terrorist assault and atrocities, the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.

Cabinet ministers were informed of the decision to put Netanyahu at the head of a panel via a message Thursday morning, the Ynet news outlet reported. The ministerial committee will convene for the first time on Monday, according to the report. It was unclear from reports who sent the message.

A spokesperson for the prime minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Setting the mandate of the commission will be crucial in determining whether the investigation includes tracing the roots of the Hamas attack two years ago to the 2005 decision to withdraw from Gaza and alleged judicial interference in security matters, as government and coalition representatives have argued that it must. Critics fear that the commission could paper over the impact of decisions by Netanyahu and various governments he has headed since 2009, including freeing the architect of the massacre, Yahya Sinwar, and helping prop up Hamas rule with Qatari money in exchange for calm.

Netanyahu has proposed setting up a government inquest........

© The Times of Israel