Barak Hiram meets with residents of Kibbutz Be'eri

IDF Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram met on Tuesday with the families of the hostages who lost their lives in Pessi Cohen’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri. He acknowledged the military failure that occurred in the kibbutz and heard what the family members had to say about his conduct on October 7.

The meeting, which lasted about two hours and was complex and very charged, allowed all participants to ask questions and criticize Hiram’s conduct on October 7 and afterward – in interviews he conducted in the media.

The meeting did not include any details that were not revealed in the IDF investigation presented to the kibbutz members in early July, but it was significant due to Hiram’s willingness to listen to the members and provide some of the families with a measure of relief.

Hiram 'shut down in face of criticism'

After the meeting, Sharon Cohen, daughter-in-law of Pessi Cohen, said that she felt Hiram was sincere, adding it was good the meeting took place despite the pain and criticism of the families.

Ron Shefroni, a relative of Aviya, Ayala, and the 12-year-old twins, Liel and Yanai Hezroni, who were held hostage and murdered in Cohen’s house, said: “The conversation with Brig.-Gen. Hiram was not easy. There were different voices among the bereaved families – some called for his resignation. I asked him, as a confidence-building measure, not to resign, but out of an understanding of the difficulty of being responsible for the security of the citizens in the sector, to be responsible for the security in another operational division.

“Hiram told me personally that he listened to the criticism and took it to heart. However, in the conversation, he insisted that precisely because he was the officer in charge of Be’eri, he was in the best position to take command of the Gaza Division.

“It is clear that Hiram wanted to listen, but he also shut it down in when faced with some of the harsh criticism regarding the orders he gave. He backed down from things he had said explicitly in the media, and tried to stem the anger towards him in his desire to be appointed the next division commander despite his admission of severe failures, during the conversation. No conversation, however sincere, can bring back our loved ones.”

 After the meeting, the kibbutz issued an additional statement, according to which “Most of the families left feeling reconciled and with a better understanding of the complex situation that took place in Pessi’s house – despite the pain that will not go away. Hiram was sincere and attentive and received support from most of the families, who wished him success and made it clear that he was part of the rescuers of Be’eri and that he had the greatest ability to succeed in restoring security to the kibbutz.”