Israel’s Otzma Yehudit party released footage on Monday showing National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir warning about the growing threat from Hamas during a meeting with community security coordinators in Nahal Oz on October 4, 2023, just three days before the October 7 massacre.
In the recording, Ben Gvir sharply criticizes Israel’s policy of restraint along the Gaza border, warning that avoiding confrontation with terrorist organizations would allow them to strengthen their military capabilities and ultimately lead to a far more dangerous escalation.
The meeting took place at 4:26 p.m. in Nahal Oz, at a location overlooking Jabalia in northern Gaza. According to Otzma Yehudit, two of the community security coordinators who participated in the discussion were caught in the Hamas terrorist assault just three days later. One was murdered, while the other fought the terrorists and was seriously wounded.
“A large part of the government wants to avoid confrontation. I am actually among those who believe we need to confront them, because if we don’t confront them today, we will confront them in 10 or 15 years, when they have ten times as many rockets, ten times as much ammunition, and ten times as much power,” Ben Gvir said during the meeting.
The minister went on to address terrorists and rioters approaching the Gaza border fence, describing disagreements he said he had with the IDF Chief of Staff and senior security officials over how Israel should respond.
“Therefore, I believe that even now, during Sukkot, when they approach the fence — and this is something I argue about with the Chief of Staff and security officials — I don’t want to go into too much detail because there are many discussions on the subject, but I am among those who believe we should not tolerate them,” Ben Gvir said.
He further argued that Israel should respond with greater military force against those attempting to attack the country from the Gaza border.
“If they approach the fence and try to harm the State of Israel, we shouldn’t throw gas at them, we should shoot them. Because in any normal country, when someone approaches your fence and wants to destroy your country, you shoot to kill,” he declared.
Otzma Yehudit presented the newly released footage as evidence that Ben Gvir had recognized the threat posed by Hamas before the October 7 massacre and had advocated a more aggressive security policy. In a statement accompanying the footage, the party asserted: “If Ben Gvir had been Defense Minister, October 7 would not have happened!”