Tel Aviv, May 11 (V7N)- Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that he shares partial responsibility for the failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by Hamas, while also stating that accountability extends across Israel’s entire political, military, and security leadership.

He made the remarks in an hour-long interview with CBS News aired on Sunday.

Netanyahu said that responsibility for the security breakdown was collective, stating that officials “from top to bottom” in Israel’s leadership structure bear some degree of responsibility for the failure.

However, he emphasized that the key focus should now be on Israel’s response after the attack rather than the events leading up to it. He described his responsibility as prime minister as guiding Israel through what he called a “death trap” following the assault.

He also said his government has taken sustained action against threats backed by Iran.

During the interview, Netanyahu reiterated his support for a politically appointed commission to investigate the events, rather than an independent state commission, despite public opinion polls reportedly favoring an independent inquiry.

He also rejected claims that Israel is hostile to Christians, calling such narratives “baseless propaganda,” while acknowledging that Israel has faced international criticism over the Gaza conflict.

The interview comes amid ongoing global scrutiny of the Israel–Gaza war that began after the October 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas, which triggered a large-scale military response by Israel.

Separately, the Israel Defense Forces has faced controversy over disciplinary cases involving soldiers, including incidents in which personnel were punished for damaging religious symbols and allegations of misconduct during operations in the region.

END/SMA/AJ