Netanyahu Claims Military and Security Leadership 'Deliberately' Didn't Wake Him Up During Hamas Surprise Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that senior military and security officials deliberately withheld reports and did not wake him up on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its surprise attack.

During an Instagram live broadcast on the 1st local time, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, "They intentionally did not wake me up because they knew that I, as the Prime Minister of Israel, would immediately issue a state of high alert across the entire military."

This goes a step beyond his previous stance that the situation would have been different had he been briefed just before the surprise attack, marking the first time he has officially raised suspicions that security officials intentionally sidelined the prime minister.

In particular, Prime Minister Netanyahu raised the level of criticism by directly pointing out Ronen Bar, then-head of Shin Bet (Israel's domestic intelligence agency).

He criticized former chief Bar for wanting to avoid a large-scale military operation out of concern for escalating conflict with Hamas, maintaining only a covert, mid-level state of readiness.

He argued that the reporting was intentionally omitted because they were reluctant to face a general mobilization of the military and immediate airstrike orders that would have been issued if the prime minister had been informed of the situation.

The surprise attack by Hamas resulted in 1,221 deaths on the Israeli side, and 251 people were dragged into the Gaza Strip as hostages, some of whom ultimately died. The incident is considered the worst "security failure" in Israeli history.

Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, sparked controversy the previous evening by raising conspiracy theories during an interview with the pro-government Channel 14 broadcast. She targeted Yair Golan, an opposition leader and former deputy chief of staff who was praised for driving his car to the site of the Nova music festival massacre on the morning of the surprise attack to rescue survivors.

She raised suspicions that opposition leader Golan "was already dressed and prepared at dawn on the day of the Hamas surprise attack, while others, including the prime minister, knew nothing."

Such remarks by the prime minister and his wife are interpreted as an attempt to evade responsibility for the security failure ahead of the general election scheduled for October 27.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.