‘You were slow to respond to Oct 7 attack’ – Israeli PM Netanyahu faces backlash

Israeli opposition parties have criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly being slow to respond to alerts regarding Hamas' October 7 attack. According to Channel 12, Netanyahu was informed of the attack at 6:29 am, yet he did not reach out to the Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, until 9 am. The report further claims that Netanyahu's actual arrival at the Kirya, Israel's central military hub, was at 9:30 am, contradicting his office's published diary entry.

Netanyahu accused the security chiefs of not informing him of the attack, suggesting he would have immediately activated Israel's military. As Israel prepares for its upcoming election, accusations and counter-accusations have arisen between the government and opposition over their handling of the October 7 incident. The Prime Minister has steadfastly rejected demands for a special commission of inquiry to assess the events of the day, including assigning blame and providing recommendations for future actions.

Meanwhile, former general and Yesh Atid party leader Gadi Eisenkot recalled an incident from 2018 where Netanyahu reportedly took two hours to respond to a message about an Israeli jet being shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.