Israeli court says comptroller overstepped authority in 7 Oct attack probes

Israeli court says comptroller overstepped authority in 7 Oct attack probes Israel's High Court of Justice has ruled that state comptroller Matanyahu Englman exceeded his authority in several probes into the failures leading to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, barring him from completing and publishing his examinations of eight key issues. The Times of Israel reported that the court found Englman had no jurisdiction to investigate four areas: Israel's transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas before the attack, Gaza border defences, the conduct of intelligence agencies and government in response to information about a possible Hamas assault, and the response of the government, intelligence agency Shin Bet and the military during the attack. The court said the state comptroller's role is to review government actions against prevailing norms, not conduct investigations to establish the factual reality of events. The court also found that the state comptroller’s authority does not extend to issues of policy and strategy regarding security and foreign affairs, the TOI reported. It also ordered four other reports to be redone after finding Englman's office failed to interview key officials before drafting them. The ruling comes amid mounting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to establish a state commission of inquiry into the attack.