Netanyahu manipulated account of warnings before Hamas attack: Israeli investigation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu manipulated his account of warnings he received before the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, omitting material and altering the context of security discussions, according to an investigation published Wednesday by an Israeli newspaper.

The Yedioth Ahronoth daily and Ynet, a subsidiary news outlet of the Yedioth Ahronoth Media Group, compared a 55-page document released by Netanyahu in February with original records, meeting summaries and testimonies.

The investigation found omissions and changes in wording and context, particularly concerning warnings issued in the months before the attack and proposals for military action against Hamas.

Netanyahu's document portrayed him as pressing for the assassination of Hamas leaders while senior security officials resisted such moves and favored maintaining calm in Gaza.

The original records, however, showed that Netanyahu repeatedly sought to preserve calm, declined to approve proposed strikes and maintained that Hamas remained deterred despite warnings from security officials, according to the investigation.

In April 2023, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and then-army chief Herzi Halevi recommended targeted killings in Gaza, the newspaper said.

A month later, Bar warned that a military campaign in Gaza would eventually be unavoidable and urged preparations for an opening strike and targeted killings.

Netanyahu, however, said there was a "strong deterrence balance" with Hamas and did not approve the proposed operations.

The investigation also cited an August warning from Bar that Israel's deterrence was eroding and that preemptive action in Gaza should be considered.

On Sept. 10, Bar warned that Israel was facing a "serious security situation" with a significant risk of several fronts converging.

Netanyahu subsequently defined the objective as keeping the upcoming holiday period "as quiet as possible," according to the report.

The newspaper said Netanyahu's February document also retained an intelligence assessment that Hamas was building up its capabilities at a "moderate pace" but omitted a recommendation to act even at the risk of military escalation.