Netanyahu Tells State Comptroller Hamas Raid Plan Was Kept From Him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he was unaware of Hamas's "Jericho Wall" raid plan and that key intelligence regarding the impending attack was not conveyed to him in the critical hours before October 7. In testimony to State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman, Netanyahu stated that on the night before the massacre, he received no alerts from the military secretary, and even a Shin Bet assessment at 5:15 AM on October 7 assessed the likelihood of a broad campaign as low.

Netanyahu asserted that a crucial section of a Shin Bet document detailing an assessment by then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was "miraculously added" later. He claims the original real-time document did not mention an instruction for his military secretary to wake him or update him on overnight events, but such a mention appeared in Shin Bet's later inquiry reports.

Regarding the "Jericho Wall" plan, Netanyahu told the comptroller that he was never exposed to the document, despite it reportedly becoming an operational order in the summer of 2021. He stated that the information presented to him suggested Hamas lacked the capability for such an attack, and that security officials believed Hamas could at most carry out a limited raid.

Netanyahu's testimony also touched on earlier assessments, including a warning he issued in a closed discussion about a month before the attack, stating, "If it's not Rahab, it will meet us soon, we will meet it on the holidays." He also mentioned receiving a Shin Bet assessment just three days before the holiday indicating the situation had calmed down after days of tension.

The article notes that Netanyahu's account presents his version of events and does not constitute a factual determination of the failures leading up to October 7. The next installment of the series will cover testimony on policy towards Hamas and Qatari funding.