Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, issued a statement Tuesday morning accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ignoring dozens of warnings before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and of being 'unfit' to lead. Eisenkot called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to investigate the decade leading up to the disaster, following a Haaretz report that Netanyahu received an explicit warning from the UAE president days before the massacre but did not inform security chiefs.
Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, escalated his criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday morning, formally demanding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the decade leading up to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. In a statement, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of ignoring "dozens of warnings" before the massacre and of being "unfit" to lead, calling for a commission to determine what the prime minister knew and when.
The demand follows a series of developments earlier Tuesday. At 07:21 Jerusalem, a Haaretz investigation reported that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu ten days before the attack about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's intentions, but that Netanyahu did not share the warning with security chiefs. Within the same hour, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed the report and accused Netanyahu of bearing "personal and direct responsibility" for the disaster. Opposition figures Yair Lapid and Eisenkot himself then alleged that Netanyahu concealed the warning. Eisenkot's latest statement formalizes his call for a state inquiry, which he pledged to establish "immediately upon the formation of the next government."
As The Zioneer has reported, Eisenkot previously called for a state commission of inquiry on June 16, and revealed on July 1 that coalition MKs approached him to replace Netanyahu early in the war. Netanyahu has denied the Haaretz report, calling it an "absolute lie," and has claimed that security officials deliberately chose not to wake him on the morning of October 7 — a claim Eisenkot dismissed as "the most ridiculous phrase a leader can cling to."
Netanyahu's office has not yet responded to Eisenkot's latest remarks. The Haaretz report remains denied by the prime minister, and no state commission of inquiry has been established.
9 developments
- DevelopingEisenkot: Netanyahu 'not worthy of the nation' after pushing division, evading conscription
- DevelopingNetanyahu claims defense officials 'deliberately' failed to wake him on Oct. 7 morning
- DevelopingFormer minister Gadi Eisenkot slams Netanyahu's statement as offering no real answers
- DevelopingEisenkot Challenges Netanyahu to Public Debate
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