Father of Slain IDF Observer Roni Eshel Says Some October 7 Terrorists Spoke Farsi

Eyal Eshel, father of Sgt. Roni Eshel — the 19-year-old Nahal Oz lookout soldier murdered on October 7, 2023 — told KAN News on August 13, 2026 that witness testimony he collected privately indicates some of the terrorists who overran the Nahal Oz base spoke Farsi. 'On Shabbat, October 7, at the Nahal Oz camp, terrorists, whoever they were, were there, and they spoke and shouted at each other in Farsi,' Eshel said, adding: 'We know much more than we did before about October 7. Every day we are learning new things.' Eshel, who has spent nearly three years conducting independent witness interviews rather than relying solely on IDF findings, said the account reinforces intelligence assessments that Iranian proxy forces or advisers were involved in preparing for the attack, though whether such forces were physically present during the assault itself remains unconfirmed. Eshel has separately called for a full state commission of inquiry, saying the truth about October 7 intelligence failures must come out.