Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu turned down a suggestion to eliminate former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar just a week before the October 7 attack, Channel 12 reporter Omri Maniv shared during a discussion with Erel Segal and Eyal Berkovic on Sunday.
The conversation on 103FM brought to light new information that could offer insights into Israel’s inability to prevent the attack.
Maniv began by explaining Hamas’ preparations leading up to the assault. He pointed out that Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military branch, was the one who authorized the attack on Israel.
“Hamas understood that without the element of surprise, they had no operation,” Maniv commented.
“We know how much effort they put into secrecy. Even members of Nukhba, Hamas’ elite unit, were only informed shortly before that they were heading for a real operation.”
He further disclosed that Deif had set a crucial condition for the attack: “Mohammed Deif made a decision before the attack that if he saw drones, he would not launch this attack. The attack was scheduled for six o’clock, and it turns out that the original attack time was six o’clock, not six twenty-nine. He said: ‘Something is not right with me.'”
Maniv suggested that a higher level of alertness from the IDF could have thwarted the assault. “If we had prepared for a major assault instead of an infiltration by thousands of people and had positioned drones in the sky and tanks in place, at least on that day, there would have been no October 7.”
“Deif didn’t believe it. He said there couldn’t be anything, so he waited half an hour to see if they were doing a trick on him. He saw that they weren’t doing anything, and then he gave the order to attack,” Maniv elaborated. He emphasized that while Sinwar was the overall leader, Deif was the one directing the military operations.
Maniv also revealed details of a security briefing that took place on October 1, just six days before the attack. He mentioned that for the first time in a while, Hamas publicly took credit for an attack in the West Bank. “As soon as it took responsibility, you understand that it is saying that it is prepared for a significant escalation. Then they gathered and asked, ‘How do you respond to such an event?'”
During the meeting, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) suggested two options: “The first is to behead the leaders of Hamas, with an emphasis on Sinwar. If you say that’s too much, then behead the planners of the attacks, the Hamas people in Gaza who maintained their connections in the West Bank.”
According to Maniv, Netanyahu did not react to the suggestion. “Netanyahu ignored the offer to take down Sinwar.”
{Matzav.com}