The defense brief of Lt. Col. Aryeh Amidror, the intelligence officer of the Gaza Division on October 7, was revealed Tuesday in a report by Doron Kadosh on Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio). Amidror denies claims that he failed professionally or bears command or professional responsibility for the absence of warning before the war, and argues that he is the only officer in the IDF paying a real price for the failures.
"Denies the IDF's claim that he failed professionally, or that he bears command or professional responsibility for the absence of warning before the war; I am the only commander in the IDF paying a real price for the failures of the army and the state on 7/10," the brief states, according to the quote published on Galei Tzahal.
Amidror petitioned in March 2025 against the proceedings to remove him from the IDF. The petition was classified, and after the court rejected his arguments, a gag order was imposed on all documents. Now, according to him, the full defense brief has been revealed.
In the defense brief, Amidror also addresses Sergeant 'Vav', who according to the report gathered intelligence on Hamas drills. Amidror claims this was done according to his directive: "Upon entering my position as intelligence officer of the Gaza Division … I instructed a certain body in Unit 8200 to produce Hamas training exercises, in order to understand the tactical capabilities of the enemy."
Amidror presented correspondence with the sergeant, in which he wrote: "For the avoidance of doubt, the purpose of my email was not to lower but to raise [awareness and preparedness]." According to Amidror, the summary of the meeting in question was distributed up to the level of the Chief of Staff, and he acted to challenge and contest the underlying assumptions.
Amidror does not address the fact that he canceled the sergeant's alert, did not summon her to a discussion, and did not allow her to present her position. The information was revealed as part of the publication of the defense brief that Amidror filed against the proceedings to remove him from the IDF.
