Netanyahu Says Officials Deliberately Didn’t Wake Him on Oct. 7

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Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused senior security officers of purposely failing to wake him in the hours leading up to Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack.

Netanyahu stated that if warned, he would have ordered Israel's military to go on full alert, organise populations along the Gaza border, and prepare airstrikes against Hamas militants. He said that such measures could have limited or avoided the attack.

He specifically criticised then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and other top military officials, claiming they were concerned that a large Israeli mobilisation would incite Hamas to launch an attack. Netanyahu called their decision a ‘failure’ rather than an internal betrayal.

The allegations come as Netanyahu faces fresh scrutiny for the security failures surrounding October 7. Israeli security agencies have already contested parts of his version; then-Shin Bet commander Bar stated that he instructed Netanyahu's military secretary to be updated around 5:15 a.m. on October 7.

The matter has become part of a larger political struggle over blame for the unprecedented security breach, with Israeli elections scheduled for later this year.