Netanyahu: "All security bodies exempted Gaza and said nothing would happen there"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview to Galei Tzahal and responded to calls for his resignation following the October 7 failure. Netanyahu claimed that all security bodies exempted Gaza and assessed that nothing would happen there, and said that if he had been warned on the night of the massacre, he would have woken up the standby squads and the Air Force and dispersed the Nova festival. He opposed a preemptive strike on Iran before the elections, rejected Ben Gvir's demand for the defense portfolio, and backtracked on a broad national unity government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview today (Wednesday) to Galei Tzahal and responded to the growing calls for his resignation following the October 7, 2023 failure. Netanyahu claimed that "all security bodies exempted Gaza and said nothing would happen there," and compared the failure to the Twin Towers and Pearl Harbor disasters, where he said there was also intelligence blindness. He stated that if he had been warned on the night of the massacre, he would have woken up the standby squads, woken up the Air Force, and dispersed the Nova festival. In the interview, Netanyahu hinted that he opposes a preemptive strike on Iran at the current timing before the elections, saying "in my opinion, it is not convenient for us." He came out against Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's demand for the position of Defense Minister, stating that "the defense portfolio should remain in the Likud." He also backtracked on the idea of a broad national unity government, saying "first the coalition partners." On a possible confrontation with Gadi Eisenkot, he replied: "It could be, it could be."