Netanyahu Claims Security Chiefs Feared His Response on Oct. 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that senior security officials deliberately did not wake him in the hours before the October 7th Hamas attack due to fear of his potential response. Netanyahu asserted that numerous signs indicated an impending Hamas assault, and that then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and former Military Intelligence head Aharon Haliva were aware of these warnings.

According to Netanyahu, the reason he was not informed was revealed in a protocol attributed to Ronen Bar, submitted to the High Court of Justice. Netanyahu quoted Bar as saying, "First of all, maintain moderate secret readiness to avoid miscalculation," and later, "Readiness for a response, for now avoid broad activity to avoid miscalculation."

Netanyahu explained that the prevailing assumption was that Hamas was deterred, leading security officials to doubt the likelihood of an attack. He claimed these officials knew that if they had alerted him, he would have ordered a significant military response, including air force deployment and immediate engagement with any approaching Hamas operatives.

Netanyahu suggested that the fear was that such a decisive reaction would have provoked an attack or exchange of fire with Hamas, which the officials sought to prevent. He concluded by stating, "If they had woken me, everything would have looked different. And this is the story of October 7th."