WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published Thursday that he was “sorry” that Hamas was able to carry out the October 7 attack without explicitly claiming responsibility.
Netanyahu, who has resisted apologizing for security failures since Israel's worst attack and has focused on destroying Hamas, was asked if he would apologize during an interview with Time magazine.
“Excuse?” was quoted as an answer.
“Of course. I'm deeply sorry that this happened. And you always look back and say, 'Could we have done things that would have prevented it?'” he said.
The right-wing leader is Israel's longest-serving prime minister and has long declared himself a staunch protector of Israel's security.
Shortly after the October 7 attack, Netanyahu posted on social media that the intelligence services failed to anticipate the Hamas operation and warn him.
He deleted and apologized for that post after many Israelis accused him of shifting blame and endangering national unity.
In the interview, Time asked Netanyahu what his message would be to a political rival who has presided over the country's biggest security failure.
Netanyahu replied that it depends on whether the leader can lead Israel “to victory.”
“Can they ensure that the post-war situation will be one of peace and security? If the answer is yes, they should stay in power.”
On October 7, Hamas carried out the deadliest attack in Israel's history. A total of 1,198 people died, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants captured 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which did not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.
