In an interview with journalist Sharon Gal, Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked why he was not woken during the October 7 Hamas invasion. Netanyahu said security officials feared a miscalculation, and that he would have instructed the military to attack. The exchange adds to ongoing public scrutiny of the decision-making that morning.
The exchange, reported by Israeli media, comes as the public debate over the October 7 failures continues. Netanyahu's remark that he would have ordered an attack contrasts with the actual military response that morning, which was delayed. The prime minister did not specify who 'they' refers to, but the answer suggests a gap between his own instincts and the security establishment's caution at the time.
In earlier statements, Netanyahu has addressed the October 7 trauma in various ways — from asserting that 'Israel is a state with an army, not the opposite' to joking about losing weight. This latest comment is one of the most direct on the critical question of why he was not woken. The full context of the interview has not been published, but the quote has already prompted reactions from political figures.
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'I immediately understood it was a war' — his account of October 7 morning
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'October 7 made me realize — we are a state with an army, not the opposite'
- DevelopingNetanyahu jokes he lost weight when asked how he changed since October 7
- DevelopingNetanyahu: October 7 taught me — no terror base on our borders
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