Gadi Eisenkot Accuses Netanyahu of Rejecting Gaza Strike Before Oct. 7
Former Israeli military chief and current Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rejecting a preemptive strike on Gaza prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks. Eisenkot cited leaked documents, aired by Channel 13, which he claims prove the security establishment recommended such a strike, but Netanyahu overruled them. Eisenkot asserts these documents demonstrate that a military option was considered before October 7th, and the final decision not to act rested with the Prime Minister.
These accusations emerge amid ongoing controversy surrounding the events leading up to October 7th, and whether intelligence warnings accurately reflected the threats at the time. Previous reports have also discussed security assessments and documents requested by the State Comptroller as part of his investigation into failures preceding the attack.
Eisenkot also directly accused Netanyahu of providing a "false pledge and admission" to the State Comptroller to conceal pre-October 7th failures. This accusation places Netanyahu's testimony under new scrutiny, particularly his February 2026 response to the Comptroller's inquiries, where he presented his account of responsibilities and decisions. In his response, Netanyahu had partially blamed the security apparatus.
Eisenkot's statements gain significance as more documents and assessments regarding security management before the attack are revealed. Channel 13 previously published details on Netanyahu's timeline on the morning of October 7th, indicating he was first informed of the Gaza attack at 6:29 AM and held a situation assessment at 9:55 AM. A situation assessment document prepared at 5:15 AM reached the Prime Minister's military secretary at 9:47 AM.
Eisenkot continues to present his narrative, focusing on documents he believes support the preemptive strike recommendation and what he describes as Netanyahu's inaccurate testimony to the State Comptroller. These allegations remain part of the ongoing political and media debate over responsibility for the failures preceding the October 7th attacks.
