Netanyahu Criticized "Military Failed to Predict Hamas Attack" Article Deleted

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized military officials for failing to anticipate the invasion by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, but deleted the post after public backlash, local media including the Times of Israel reported on the 29th (local time).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to reports, Netanyahu stated on the social networking service X that he had never received any report about Hamas's war intentions, and criticized, "All security agencies, including military intelligence and the head of Shin Bet (ISA), believed that Hamas would desist from provocation and seek an agreement."

As Netanyahu attempted to evade responsibility regarding Hamas's surprise attack, fierce opposition arose mainly from the opposition parties. Yair Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid and a former prime minister, criticized, "While the military bravely fights against Hamas and Hezbollah, (Netanyahu) tries to blame them instead of supporting them," adding, "This attempt to evade responsibility worsens the military fighting Israel's enemies. Netanyahu should apologize for his words."

Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party and Minister of Defense in the national unity government, demanded an official retraction from Prime Minister Netanyahu. He emphasized, "The wartime leadership must take responsibility and support the military. Any other actions or comments harm the resilience of the people and the military," and added, "The prime minister must retract his statement made yesterday."

As criticism continued, Netanyahu deleted the post he had uploaded on X.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.