© Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet minister Benny Gantz, speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, 28 October 2023. ABIR SULTAN POOL/Pool via REUTERS
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday took a jab at his intelligence chiefs, saying they never warned him Hamas was planning its wide-scale attack on Oct. 7 and causing a political uproar and a rift within his war cabinet.
Netanyahu, who has drawn public ire for not taking responsibility over the intelligence and operational failures surrounding Hamas’ rampage through southern Israel, later erased the remarks posted on social media platform X at 1 a.m. Sunday (about 2300 GMT on Saturday).
While top officials – from the heads of the military and the Shin Bet domestic spy service to his finance minister – have all acknowledged their failures, Netanyahu has not.
He has only said that there would be time to ask tough questions, including of himself, after the war.
Israel’s military spokesperson, asked about Netanyahu’s comments during a daily briefing with reporters, declined to respond, saying: “We are now at war, focused on the war.”
Netanyahu’s post had said: “At no time and no stage was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding war intentions of Hamas. On the contrary, all security officials, including the head of army intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet, estimated that Hamas was deterred and interested in an arrangement.”
The remarks were quickly rebuked by current and past allies, including Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who is now in Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
Gantz said on X, formerly Twitter, that Netanyahu should take back what he said and let the matter go.
“When we are at war, leadership must show responsibility, decide to do the right things and bolster the forces in a way that they can carry out what we demand of them,” Gantz said.
Israel’s military spokesperson, asked about Netanyahu’s comments during a daily briefing with reporters, declined to respond.
The surprise Hamas attack was the deadliest day of Israel’s 75-year history. Israel has since bombarded the Gaza Strip with devastating air strikes and begun ground operations with the aim of toppling the Iran-backed Islamist group and returning scores of captives abducted from Israel to Gaza.
“I saw his Twitter (the former name for X) from overnight, which points to just one thing: he is not interested in security, he is not interested in hostages, only politics,” said opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman, once Netanyahu’s defense minister, in a radio interview.
Yossi Cohen, who headed the Mossad spy agency under previous Netanyahu governments, told Israel Radio: “You take responsibility from the beginning of your job, not from the middle.”
“When I took responsibility for the Mossad, for example … all that happened, from end to end was my responsibility.”
