"Prevent Escalation": New Leaks Reveal Netanyahu Blocked Pre-War Hits on Hamas Terrorists
Leaked documents from a high level security meeting held just six days before October 7 reveal that Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly ordered a policy of "quiet" and civil arrangement with Hamas despite recommendations for targeted assassinations.
A major political storm is brewing in Jerusalem following the exposure of a highly sensitive security discussion held on October 1, 2023, less than a week before the devastating October 7 terrorist attack. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently attempted to deflect blame toward the security establishment by providing selective quotes to the State Auditor, new evidence suggests that the Prime Minister himself set a rigid directive focused on de-escalation and humanitarian concessions. The leaked summary of this meeting, which included the heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDF, shows that Netanyahu chose to ignore specific recommendations for the targeted killings of Hamas leaders in favor of maintaining calm to facilitate a historic peace deal with Saudi Arabia.
The October 1st Directive
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem and was attended by the highest echelons of Israel's defense and political leadership, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Mossad Director David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. According to the official summary of the discussion, Netanyahu defined the primary national goal as promoting peace with Saudi Arabia while maintaining "national and security quiet." To achieve this, he instructed the cabinet to neutralize any attempts at escalation that might jeopardize diplomatic progress.
In the second section of the document, the Prime Minister specifically directed his team to advance "civilian arrangements" with Hamas terrorists. He advocated for the increased use of humanitarian tools to influence Hamas policy. Crucially, the document admits that the security establishment had recommended "operational readiness for assassinations" against the leaders of Hamas. However, Netanyahu’s summary shows that he decided to shelve these active measures. He noted that such assassinations should only be considered during an emergency or within an active war, rather than as a proactive, preemptive strike to dismantle the terrorist threat.
"Irreparable Damage" to National Security
The final paragraph of the memo captures the prevailing mindset just days before the massacre. It states that "the Prime Minister expressed great appreciation to all security bodies for their work in maintaining quiet in all sectors, with emphasis on the holiday period." He went on to write that "we must act with balance and leadership for the sake of cooling the sectors and preventing escalation, while maintaining and strengthening Israeli deterrence."
Senior defense officials have reacted with fury to the Prime Minister’s recent attempt to present a different version of history. They claim that Netanyahu is causing "irreparable damage in the long term" by intentionally leaking half sentences out of context to protect his political standing. These officials argue that the Prime Minister is disintegrating the relationship between the political echelon and professional security ranks. One official noted that this specific meeting summary was unusually clear for Netanyahu, who typically prefers ambiguity to allow for future deniability. In this case, the directive was undeniable: the Prime Minister prioritized a policy of "cooling" the area while Hamas terrorists were finalizing their plans for the bloodiest war in Israel's history.