Yisrael Beiteinu chair and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot said Monday that the Shin Bet knew before the October 7 massacre that a severe event was developing, though it did not know Hamas was about to launch a surprise attack. In an interview with Ben Caspit at the International Counter-Terrorism Conference at Reichman University, he said a recommendation to carry out targeted strikes in Gaza was made but not approved.
Eisenkot described the failure as profound. "This is a very deep failure," he said. According to him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received warnings before the massacre from several sources in the Arab world.
"It is completely clear to me that the prime minister received warnings from several Arab sources, from the United Arab Emirates, from Egypt, and also from that same Sufian Abu Zaida who was the mediator between Israel and Hamas," Eisenkot said. He added that he was exposed to some of the information through roles he held and believes the investigations presented to him.
Netanyahu has previously denied receiving concrete warning of a Hamas attack. Eisenkot, by contrast, claimed the prime minister is trying to avoid accountability for the failure. "Netanyahu knows better than anyone why he is running from the truth, why he wants to bury the truth," he said.
Eisenkot pledged that if a new government is formed, within two weeks a decision will be made to establish a state commission of inquiry. "His hope is to win in order to bury the truth, because he knows it," he claimed. According to him, "two weeks after the next government is formed, a government decision will pass to establish a state commission of inquiry with a broad mandate."
According to Eisenkot, the commission should not examine only the period immediately before the massacre, but also the conduct that preceded it over years. He noted that already during his tenure as chief of staff, Netanyahu was presented with the threat of a raid into Israeli territory, and that discussions on the subject took place after Operation Protective Edge.
During the interview, Eisenkot also addressed a claim by Yitzik Bonzel, a bereaved father and member of the Likud list, that "Eisenkot sent our sons to be killed and fled in the middle." Eisenkot responded: "That is an unworthy statement. I can only wish him that he discovers derech eretz."
Eisenkot recounted that on the eve of the ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu asked him where his son was serving and whether he would take part in the maneuver. According to him, he replied that his son was serving in the 551st Brigade and was expected to enter the Strip the next day.
He also attacked claims that he opposed the conquest of Gaza or action in Rafah. "He knows I voted in favor of conquering Gaza, he knows I voted with him to conquer Rafah. And despite that, he lies every day." According to him, this is a "culture of lies" that he hopes will disappear after the elections.
