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Netanyahu accuses security officials of not waking him during Hamas attack; wife hints at treason conspiracy

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused senior military and security officials of deliberately not waking him during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, prompting accusations that he was promoting a conspiracy theory for electoral purposes.
  • His wife, Sara Netanyahu, appeared to suggest that opposition leader Yair Golan knew about Hamas’s plans, a claim Golan rejected as a false conspiracy.
  • Opposition figures accused Netanyahu and his family of attacking the military and Shin Bet leadership ahead of Israel’s October 27 legislative elections.

Benjamin Netanyahu has reignited a political storm in Israel by accusing senior military and security officials of deliberately choosing not to wake him during the early hours of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.

The prime minister made the accusation in a video broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12 and repeated it on a podcast. Referring to the military and Shin Bet leadership at the time, he asked: “Why didn’t they wake me?”

Why didn’t they wake me?

· Benjamin NetanyahuNetanyahu questioned why senior military and Shin Bet officials did not alert him during the October 7 attack.

The attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to the article. Netanyahu said the security chiefs feared that alerting him would lead him to immediately mobilize the army and order troops to fire at anyone approaching the border fence. He argued that they preferred to avoid a confrontation with Hamas because they feared a “miscalculation.”

very early

· Sara NetanyahuShe used the phrase when describing Yair Golan’s arrival in southern Israel after the attack.

The controversy intensified after Sara Netanyahu suggested in a Channel 14 interview that Yair Golan, who was the army’s deputy chief in 2023 and now leads the center-left Democrats party, arrived in southern Israel “very early” and “dressed and ready” after the attack. Her remarks were interpreted as implying that Golan had advance knowledge of Hamas’s plans.

Golan responded on X by accusing the first lady of spreading a “false conspiracy.” In a letter warning of a possible defamation lawsuit, he demanded a public apology within 24 hours and compensation for survivors of the Nova festival. He threatened to seek 2.5 million shekels, about 714,473 euros.

dressed and ready

· Sara NetanyahuThe remark was interpreted as suggesting that Golan knew about Hamas’s plans in advance.

Opposition figures, including former prime minister Naftali Bennett, accused Netanyahu and his family of promoting a “sick, false and dangerous” conspiracy against the army and Shin Bet leadership. Bennett is running to lead the Together coalition in the legislative elections scheduled for October 27.

sick, false and dangerous

· Naftali BennettThe opposition politician described the conspiracy claims promoted by Netanyahu and his family.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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