Netanyahu and Former Shin Bet Chief Trade Blame Over October 7 Warnings
Associates of former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for accusing Bar of failing to act on October 7, as political tensions mount over early security warnings.
Associates of former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar have fired back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he accused Bar of "crimes" and claimed he "knew of a real danger" on the night of October 7 yet failed to act. "In light of the series of revelations regarding the warnings Netanyahu received before October 7 from regional leaders and security chiefs, Netanyahu is once again losing his composure and shifting responsibility off himself as though he had not been prime minister in the 15 years leading up to the massacre," they charged. "We hope that a commission of inquiry, to be established as soon as possible, will examine the events preceding that fateful day without bias and for the sake of future generations.
The exchange follows a report by The Wall Street Journal detailing that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel warned Netanyahu prior to October 7. Netanyahu responded by claiming that "in recent weeks, the left-wing media has been waging a vile and deceitful campaign aimed at throwing all of Ronen Bar's failures and crimes on the eve of October 7 onto Prime Minister Netanyahu." Netanyahu asserted that while Bar held discussions with then-Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and then-Aman chief Aharon Haliva on the night of October 7, Bar "decided not to call and update the prime minister, not to alert the standby squads and IDF forces in the field, not to evacuate the Nova party—and only sent a limited Tekuma team (which proves he knew of a real danger)."
In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court during hearings regarding his dismissal, Bar addressed detailed conspiracy theories claiming he had advance knowledge of Hamas's plans. "We did not conceal anything on October 7. I asked to update the prime minister at 05:15," he wrote. Bar asserted that the Shin Bet was the agency that awakened "the entire system" on the night preceding the massacre, distributing an alert at 03:03 indicating unusual preparations and potential offensive intentions by Hamas. Bar explained that the intelligence picture initially pointed incorrectly toward a localized raid, leading him to dispatch a specialized joint force of Shin Bet operatives and Yamam fighters—known as a "Tekuma team"—while coordinating with the IDF. He noted that the military secretary was instructed to be updated at 05:15, though Netanyahu ultimately received his first call from then-military secretary Avi Gil only at 6:29 AM.
