The third and final chapter of Prime Minister Netanyahu's 'Netanyahu's Version' series, released Thursday, claims that senior defense officials over the years opposed eliminating Hamas leaders, conquering Gaza, and toppling the terror group's rule. According to the chapter, which cites protocols presented to the State Comptroller, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi strongly opposed a 2021 assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Two months before the October 7 massacre, Netanyahu says he demanded to eliminate a senior Hamas official even at the cost of escalation, but defense chiefs resisted.
The third and final installment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 'Netanyahu's Version' documentary series, published Thursday evening, directly attributes the failure to eliminate Hamas leaders before October 7 to opposition from senior defense officials. The chapter specifically states that then-IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi strongly opposed a targeted assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in 2021, and that Netanyahu himself demanded the elimination of a senior Hamas figure two months before the October 7 massacre — a move that defense chiefs rejected.
The series draws on protocols Netanyahu submitted to the State Comptroller's office. It argues that security officials consistently opposed taking decisive action against Hamas over the years, including opposition to conquering the Gaza Strip and toppling the terror group's rule.
The chapter joins a longstanding public debate over responsibility for the October 7 failures. As The Zioneer has previously reported, former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman claimed in August that a fully-prepared operation to eliminate the entire Hamas leadership was blocked by Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu has also previously stated that left-wing cabinet members sought to frame a withdrawal from Gaza as a victory image — a claim he said he rejected. The new chapter effectively represents Netanyahu's most detailed on-record account of the pre-war decision-making process.
- DevelopingChannel 14 publishes protocol showing Shin Bet chief did not recommend killing Sinwar before Oct. 7, contradicting Haaretz
- DevelopingNetanyahu claims defense officials 'deliberately' failed to wake him on Oct. 7 morning
- DevelopingLiberman: Netanyahu blocked operation to eliminate entire Hamas leadership
- StrongNetanyahu rejects 15-point plan, Dichter says Hamas has no intention of disarming
Source and signal
- Open-source intake