Dichter: October 7 was an intelligence failure, the most tragic event in Israel's history

Minister Avi Dichter said that the October 7 massacre is the most tragic event in Israel's history, citing a terrible intelligence and operational failure. He claimed the massacre in Gaza is unrelated to Judea and Samaria, and that connecting Gaza to Egypt in 2005 was a mistake. Dichter criticized Trump's Peace Council agreement, calling it 'meager', and attacked Naftali Bennett, comparing him to a chameleon.

Minister Avi Dichter, a cabinet member and Agriculture Minister from Likud, said today on the 'Ba'hatzot Hayom' program on Kan News that the October 7 massacre is 'the most tragic event that has happened to the State of Israel'. According to him, 'we have not experienced anything like this since the establishment of the state', and there was a 'terrible intelligence and operational failure', with limited capability of the political echelon, even less than during the Yom Kippur War. Dichter claimed that the massacre in Gaza is not related to Judea and Samaria, but to Hamas in Gaza, which has strengthened over the years. He reiterated his position that connecting Gaza to Egypt in 2005 was a mistake, and that the Philadelphi Corridor remained open, allowing Hamas to receive weapons from Iran via Sudan and Egypt. Dichter called Trump's Peace Council agreement 'meager', noting that the agreement does not address the light and medium weapons used in the massacre. He attacked Naftali Bennett, comparing him to a chameleon, and said that for a multitude of colors, one ultimately pays. Regarding the dismissal of Central Command chief Avi Bluth, Dichter called on Defense Minister Israel Katz to meet with the Chief of Staff and resolve the matter among themselves. On Jewish terrorism in Judea and Samaria, he said one must be cautious of generalizations, and that the rioters cause damage to the leadership of the Jewish settlement.