Benjamin Netanyahu and defense chiefs clash over October 7 responsibility

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and defense chiefs continue to clash over failure to detect the danger presented by Hamas forces before October 7, according to a report tonight (Tuesday) by Kann News.

According to the report, during the July 2023 cabinet meeting, the only cabinet discussion focused on the Palestinian arena before the war, the National Security Council presented the political leadership's guidelines regarding the Gaza Strip.

The slide stated that one of the government's guidelines was to preserve the connection with Qatar. The wording indicated that the guideline was to maintain the connection with Egypt, Qatar, and the UN - which played a key role in settlement attempts at that time. The guidelines also stated the need for "an effort to maintain calm over time," and "leveraging humanitarian economic tools to pressure Hamas to maintain continuous calm."

This statement implies that the government was firmly and consistently committed to maintaining calm and not attentive to possible dangers emanating from Hamas' terrorist army.

The Prime Minister's Office released this response:

"Attempts to divert the discussion from the enormous failure of October 7th will not help. In security discussions held in 2023, all security agencies assessed that Hamas was deterred, and recommended a policy of economic benefits."

They noted that "just three days before October 7th, the head of the Shin Bet defined the handling of border disturbances as a 'success' and as proof of 'Hamas's deterrence and unwillingness to escalate,' and recommended using civilian benefits for Hamas as a tool for maintaining stability.

"In contrast, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned against attempts by regional actors to lead to escalation, instructed not to ignore or surrender to Hamas provocations, and ordered the advancement of operational readiness to thwart Hamas leadership and operatives."