Ben Gvir warned of Hamas 3 days before October 7 attack

Otzma Yehudit released footage Monday showing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in Nahal Oz on October 4, 2023, three days before the Hamas massacre. In a conversation with the community's security coordinators, one of whom was murdered in the attack and the other seriously wounded, Ben Gvir warned of Hamas's growing strength and opposed the policy of containment.

"There is a large part of the government that wants to avoid confrontation. I am actually one of those who think we need to reach a confrontation, because if we don't reach a confrontation today, we will reach it in 10 or 15 years, when they will have 10 times more missiles, 10 times more ammunition and 10 times more power," Ben Gvir said in the conversation, which took place at 4:26 p.m. with the Gaza Strip visible in the background.

Ben Gvir then addressed the handling of rioters approaching the border fence, revealing his dispute with the IDF Chief of Staff and security officials: "So I think even now, during Sukkot, when they approach the fence --- and on this I am arguing with the Chief of Staff and with security officials."

"I don't want to go into too much detail, because there are many discussions on the subject, but I am one of those who think we should not contain them. If they approach the fence and try to harm the State of Israel, we should not throw gas at them, we should shoot at them. Because in any normal country, whoever approaches your fence and wants to destroy the state, you shoot him in order to kill."

Otzma Yehudit emphasized that the footage was filmed just three days before Hamas's murderous attack on the Gaza border communities, presenting it as vindication of Ben Gvir's position against the containment policy toward Hamas. The party claims that had Ben Gvir been in charge of the security establishment, the disaster could have been prevented, concluding: "If Ben Gvir had been Defense Minister, October 7 would not have happened!"