Families of the deceased file criminal complaint against Netanyahu — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, families of those killed during the October 7 attack have filed a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They are asking Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the head of the police investigative-intelligence unit to examine whether he deliberately misled the state comptroller and the public in order to avoid responsibility for the events of October 7, the Jerusalem Post reports.
What the complainants claim
The complaint concerns Netanyahu's 55-page response to the state comptroller, submitted in December 2025 and published in February 2026. The families claim that the document selectively quoted classified materials, omitted warnings, and distorted discussions of policy toward Hamas and the threats the group posed before the attack.
The complainants are asking for an examination of a possible attempted fraud under aggravating circumstances, fraud and breach of trust, as well as the alleged unlawful disclosure of classified information and materials from the state comptroller's review. In the families' view, the possible benefit of such actions could have been the state comptroller's and the public's acceptance of Netanyahu's version, which would absolve him of responsibility.
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Arguments of the complaint
Among the complainants are Hagit and Ruby Chen, whose son, tank soldier Itay Chen, was killed in battle on October 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza. The complaint was also filed by Sharon and Eyal Eshel, the parents of servicewoman Roni Eshel, who was killed at the Nahal Oz base. The document was submitted by lawyers Navot Tel-Zur, Tal Shapira, Ron Berkman, and Shoni Albeck. Former Jerusalem District Court judge Nava Ben-Or signed a statement supporting the facts and legal analysis presented in the complaint.
The families challenge Netanyahu's claim that preserving calm in Gaza and deterring Hamas were never his directives. In their view, records show repeated instructions to maintain calm in Gaza and postpone confrontation. They also dispute his claim that he did not receive or review Hamas's “Jericho Wall” invasion plan.
Separately, the complainants ask for an examination of Netanyahu's explanation regarding funds from Qatar which, they claim, were directed to Hamas's military wing, as well as his handling of warnings before the attack. The families' lawyers believe that an investigation would give police access to the original classified documents to determine what information Netanyahu received and when.
