Bereaved parents of soldiers killed in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Nahal Oz Base, Dror Ashram and Ingrid Har-Even, voiced their frustration with the military’s handling of the attack and its response while speaking on “Friday News” on KAN 11.
“I have no trust in these officers,” said Ashram, father of Sgt. Shay Ashram. While he initially expected the inquiry to be misleading, he said Col. Ido Kas restored some of his confidence.
“My feeling before the inquiry was that they were going to deceive us again. My trust in the military was zero. After listening to Col. Ido Kas, my trust rose to 78%. I saw a man with values who came to tell the truth.”
However, Ashram remained critical of the senior command, particularly in its treatment of female soldiers stationed at Nahal Oz. “I distinguish between the soldiers’ supreme combat efforts and the brigade, division, and command levels that continued to disregard our daughters. The girls were there 24/7 all year round, but they were ‘nobody’s daughters’—no one paid attention to them.”
The inquiry revealed that Golani soldiers at the base were not sufficiently armed. “No personal weapons, no ammunition, no machine guns,” Ashram said. He directly confronted Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelman, asking, “Why are you still in uniform? On October 7, you were in command; on October 8, you should have been [removed from the IDF and put] somewhere else.”
One of the most troubling findings was that two trackers left the base in an armored vehicle while others remained under attack. In contrast, tracker Ibrahim Kharouba refused to abandon his fellow soldiers. “I’m not going to abandon the soldiers in Gaza,” he reportedly said before being killed in the battle.
Another revelation that outraged families was the escape of four officers and three soldiers through a window of the command room. The inquiry described their actions as “saving themselves,” but bereaved parents rejected this wording. “That’s sugarcoating—they fled and hid instead of protecting the female soldiers,” one said.
One of the fleeing soldiers later admitted, “I heard their cries until their voices fell silent.”
Courage of fallen IDF heroes on October 7
Har-Even, the mother of Maj. Shilo Har-Even, emphasized the courage of the soldiers who fought back despite impossible circumstances. “The investigation covers what happened at the base on October 7. What stands out most is the bravery of the soldiers and the lookouts. The human spirit prevailed when everything else failed — the technology, the protocols, the generals, and the walls.”
She described how her son returned to the base in an armored personnel carrier (APC) to rescue besieged troops. “Shilo lost his arm while standing in the Namer’s open hatch, firing. The vehicle was malfunctioning, and the ramp wouldn’t open. His soldiers applied a tourniquet, and he kept fighting.”
Asked whether she believed the senior military leadership had taken real responsibility, Har-Even remained unconvinced. “I don’t know if saying ‘I take responsibility’ actually means anything in practice.”
Ashram was more blunt in his assessment. “These officers are criminals. I’m talking about the head of Southern Command, the head of Military Intelligence, the head of the Shin Bet, the Chief of Staff—these are the officers who were supposed to protect the girls and provide them with everything they needed.”
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