Police officials: 'IDF approved the Nova Festival because there was no warning of security threats'

Ahead of the publication of the IDF's investigation into the Nova Festival on October 7, police officials claim that the IDF approved the festival despite its location because it did not receive any warning or concern about a threat to security, Walla reported Thursday. 

According to the police, dozens of officers were involved in the event, but their duties were limited to regulating traffic, public order, and criminal issues. 

The police also claim that the commander during the Nova Festival was the Ofakim station commander, Nivi Ohana, who insisted on using soldiers as backup due to its location, plus eight more Negev Special Patrol Unit officers who came to secure the event per his request. 

Furthermore, when rockets were launched, and sirens sounded on the morning of October 7, the event commander updated his superiors and received approval from the district commander to order the immediate cancellation of the party. 

This action likely saved hundreds of attendees who managed to leave the area before the terrorists arrived at the festival around 8 a.m.

The IDF will allegedly reveal the investigation into the Nova Festival massacre in the first weeks of August, Walla reported.

IDF probes into October 7 security failures

The IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi, appointed Brigadier General Ido Mizrahi, the former IDF Combat Engineering commander, to investigate the events of the Nova Festival near Kibbutz Re'im several months ago. 

Questions that have arisen include who in the IDF approved the festival, which thousands of citizens attended, who knew about the festival's existence when decisions were made on the night between October 6 and 7, and how long it took the IDF to realize a massacre was taking place in the festival area, build a situational picture, and deploy large forces there.

The IDF was set to publish the findings of multiple probes into the October 7 security failures around the same time, but after heavy criticisms following the findings of the probe into Kibbutz Be'eri, the remaining probe results have been delayed. The IDF is believed to publish additional probe findings around September.