Netanyahu Accuses Security Officials of Deliberately Not Waking Him During Oct 7 Attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused security officials of intentionally failing to wake him on the morning of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, escalating a national debate over responsibility for one of the deadliest days in Israel's history. The allegations, made during a live interview on Instagram, came a day after his wife Sara claimed an opposition figure knew of the assault in advance, drawing sharp rebukes from political rivals.
Netanyahu, who faces close-fought elections later this year, has long acknowledged that he was not awakened during the initial hours of the attack. But in recent days he has gone further, alleging that the decision was deliberate. "Why didn't they wake me?" he said during the interview. "Because they knew that I, as prime minister of Israel, would immediately have ordered to put the entire army on alert, to wake up all the towns (on the Gaza border)... It's so obvious that all of this could have been done. This has been hidden from the public."
The prime minister's assertions echoed comments he made in a podcast interview released the previous day, in which he blamed the military's top brass and Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security service at the time, for refusing to rouse him. Netanyahu said officials were concerned that waking him could trigger an escalation with Hamas based on a possible "miscalculation." "They didn't believe Hamas would attack," he added. "They knew exactly what I would do."
Wife's Claim Draws Legal Threat
Sara Netanyahu, in a separate television interview broadcast on Israel's Channel 14, which is close to the government, claimed that Yair Golan, a former deputy military chief of staff and leader of the centre-left Democrats party, was aware of the plan for the Hamas attack before it happened. She alleged Golan was "already dressed and ready" at dawn that day. The comments drew outrage from the opposition and a lawsuit threat from Golan, who on the morning of October 7 rushed to southern Israel to rescue at least six people at the site of the Nova music festival, where at least 370 people were killed.
In response, Golan said, "Sara Netanyahu spread a false conspiracy in an attempt to rewrite Oct 7, turning those who went out to save lives into traitors and those who abandoned Israel's security into victims." His party condemned her "vile and deceitful" remarks. Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, similarly criticised the "mad conspiracy of betrayal" spread by the premier's wife.
Broader Political Context
The allegations come amid sustained criticism of Netanyahu's government over the security failures that led to the October 7 attack. A poll conducted for Channel 13 in August found that 40 per cent of Israelis and 63 per cent of voters for the current right-wing coalition believe internal treason led to the attack.
The Hamas assault, which killed 1,221 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, also saw militants take 251 hostages, 44 of whom were already dead, into Gaza. Israel responded with a massive offensive that has killed at least 73,462 people in the Palestinian territory, according to its health ministry.