Israel’s Netanyahu again dodges responsibility for Oct. 7 failures, blames army, past governments

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again avoided taking responsibility for the failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023 events, instead shifting blame to the military and previous governments, according to Israeli media on Friday.

Late Thursday, Netanyahu released the responses he submitted to State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman regarding the events, saying the document was handed over at the end of 2025.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that in a 55-page document, Netanyahu declined to accept any personal responsibility, placing most of the blame on the defense establishment and former administrations.

The public broadcaster KAN said Netanyahu presented minutes from pre-Oct. 7 meetings during a parliamentary committee session, reading selected remarks by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, and former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to argue that no one had anticipated the attack.

KAN said the move sparked heated reactions inside the committee, after which Netanyahu said the excerpts were part of the material he had submitted to the state comptroller.

The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu sought to bolster his case using carefully chosen quotations, repeatedly claiming he had supported assassinating Hamas leaders, while senior security officials had opposed the move.

The outlet said the publication of the document sparked sharp criticism from opposition figures, who cited warnings issued in the weeks before Oct. 7 about the risk of a multi-front escalation.

Englman has not yet released the findings of his investigation, which Israel’s Supreme Court ordered suspended in December 2025.

According to The Times of Israel, the probe has been controversial from the outset, amid claims that it was fundamentally flawed and that only a state commission of inquiry could properly investigate the failures surrounding the attack.

The report said Netanyahu told Englman he had repeatedly examined the option of invading Gaza in the years before Oct. 7, but that the security establishment rejected the idea, citing the prospect of a long and costly war without domestic or international legitimacy and the absence of a viable alternative to Hamas rule.

Netanyahu also cited a Cabinet meeting held in July 2014 during an Israeli war on Gaza, in which he raised the issue of occupying the enclave. At the time, then-Economy Minister Naftali Bennett was quoted as saying: “I never spoke about ‘occupying Gaza.’”

According to the meeting records, Netanyahu responded that the only way to disarm Gaza would be through military occupation.

The report noted that Bennett is now Netanyahu’s leading rival ahead of this year’s elections, giving the prime minister a clear political incentive to portray him as opposing the dismantling of Hamas.

Netanyahu further included quotations from figures who have since become prominent critics, including former deputy army chief Gadi Eisenkot, former army chief Benny Gantz, and former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, all of whom opposed occupying Gaza.

According to the records, Gantz described the move as a “strategic mistake,” Eisenkot called it a “grave error,” while then-Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said: “I do not recommend an invasion.”

Netanyahu continues to reject calls for a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 events, amid concerns such a body could hold him personally accountable. He has consistently placed responsibility on the army and intelligence agencies.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, numerous Israeli military, security and political figures have publicly acknowledged personal responsibility for the failures, while Netanyahu has continued to refuse any personal accountability.

The developments come as Israel continues to breach a ceasefire that ended a two-year offensive on Gaza, killing nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

Despite the ceasefire of Oct. 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued to violate it, killing 574 Palestinians and wounding 1,518 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref