Minister Miki Zohar said Sunday that Hamas planned the October 7 massacre during the previous government’s tenure. While the attack happened on the current government’s watch, he argued, the infrastructure and planning took shape under the Bennett-Lapid administration.
“Sinwar planned this the moment he saw the government’s weakness, and unfortunately it was carried out, in practice, on our watch,” Zohar said in an interview on Radio 103FM. He claimed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar identified vulnerability in the previous government and exploited it to plan the attack.
The comments ignited a political firestorm. Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid fired back: “You strengthened Hamas as policy and brought upon us the greatest disaster for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Shame on you.”
Lapid detailed his criticism: “1,200 were murdered on your watch. Hundreds were kidnapped on your watch. You ignored all our warnings, all the alerts.” He added that the current government held all the security portfolios on October 7 and bears sole responsibility for the disaster.
Knesset member Moshe Tur-Paz from Yesh Atid also dismissed the claim. “To hear Miki Zohar explain that all the disasters brought by the October 7 government were planned in the one year of the Bennett-Lapid government and laugh,” he wrote. “If that’s your line for the elections, I have a Nigerian prince to introduce you to.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded: “The outgoing government has launched another campaign to evade responsibility for the blood of those murdered on October 7. It won’t help. It’s yours, Netanyahu. And it’s not AI. You transferred suitcases of dollars to Hamas. You allowed the terror monster to grow on the border. You contained the rocket and balloon fire. You surrendered to Hamas and Hezbollah.
In a government headed by me, we will establish a state investigation committee to investigate the massacre’s failure. You won’t be able to escape anymore.”