Comptroller Englman: "The government made decisions to reinforce Eilat – but it did not take the trouble to implement them"

16.09.25

The State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Matanyahu Englman, is publishing today two special reports, regarding the agricultural sector in the Swords of Iron War and the advancement of tourism and the economic development of Eilat from the standpoint of the war. This is the fifth publication of the audit reports regarding the October 7 disaster and the Swords of Iron War.

"During the war, Israeli farmers and their employees stood on the front line – they worked the land under a direct and immediate threat to their lives, and returned to operate their plots even under fire, with the aid of volunteers", said Comptroller Englman upon the publication of the report regarding the agricultural sector in the war. "This report indicates the main defects in the preparedness of the Ministry of Agriculture and the other relevant bodies for emergency in the agricultural sector and in the implementation of the response after the outbreak of the war. The Minister of Agriculture must rectify the defects promptly".

Decisions were not implemented

Concerning the other special report, which focused on Eilat, the Comptroller noted that "Immediately after the October 7 massacre, the Municipality of Eilat, its residents and the hotels in the city made a great contribution to help the tens of thousands of evacuees from the south and north, which doubled the city's population.

"Over the years, the Israeli government made decisions to reinforce the city of Eilat from the economic and tourism viewpoint and in the health and transportation sectors, but it did not take the trouble to implement them, and left Eilat exposed to economic risks due to its absolute dependence on the tourism industry. During the Swords of Iron War, the risk was realized, and the city and its businesses were adversely affected to a great extent, in a way that compelled the government to provide unique assistance".

Comptroller Englman emphasized that "Appropriate preparedness on the part of the government and the fulfillment of its decisions over the years during times of routine could have prevented an economic blow to the city and its businesses during states of emergency, as in the example of COVID-19, due to the absence of domestic and foreign tourism in light of October 7. The Ministers of Tourism, Finance, Agriculture, Health and Economy must rectify the defects promptly".

Audit of all the echelons

Several days after the October 7 massacre, the State Comptroller launched a series of tours of localities in the Gaza Envelope, the south and the north. The Comptroller met with evacuees at hotels in Eilat, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, the center and the north.

On January 7th, 2024, the Comptroller announced the start of the audit regarding about 60 topics, which would be examined by about 200 audit managers from the Office of the State Comptroller. The Comptroller emphasized three milestones for the audit:

  • The audit would target all the echelons: Political, military and civilian.
  • In the core audits and in the audits on additional topics, personal liability would be imposed on those responsible for the failures.
  • When a national commission of inquiry is established – the State Comptroller will determine its perimeters.

The first intention was to publish within a few months the reports dealing with the core of the failure that enabled the October 7 massacre. But an interim injunction – which was lifted just a few weeks ago after agreements made between the Office of the State Comptroller and the IDF and the ISA – held up the audits on these topics by about 15 months. It should be noted that the Office of the State Comptroller is also presently in the middle of the audit process on the core topics.

In light of the situation created, Comptroller Englman decided that due to the great importance attached also to the reports on the civilian topics – these reports would be published as soon as the work on them is completed. This publication, as aforesaid, is the fifth out of the Swords of Iron reports, and it deals with civilian issues.

Naturally the public is entitled to answers to the difficult questions about the most serious negligence in the history of the state. The State Comptroller will not rest until he provides the answers to the failures of the political echelon and the military echelon, and these will be published when the audit work on them has been completed.
 
The Swords of Iron reports that have been published until now:

  1. Mental Health Treatment Following the Events of October 7 and the Swords of Iron War
  2. The Operation of Resilience Centers in the Confrontation Line Localities since the Outbreak of the Swords of Iron War
  3. The Regulation of the Community Emergency Response Teams Before the Swords of Iron War and their Operation since the Beginning of the War
  4. The Provision of Aid to the Victims of Hostile Activity since the Events of October 7
  5. The Rehabilitation Processes of the Western Negev Settlements
  6. Governm​ent Response to the Needs of Northern Communities During the Swords of Iron War: Civil-Economic Front
  7. Economic Assistance to Small Businesses in the Initial Months of the Swords of Iron War​
  8. the government handling of the civilian sphere during the Swords of Iron War