Netanyahu Under Pressure from Families of Detainees, Cabinet

By Staff, Agencies

Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received sharp criticism after he accused security chiefs in a now-deleted social media post of failing to warn him about the Hamas surprise operation prior to October 7.

Amid a chorus of disapproval from opponents and allies, Netanyahu deleted the post on Sunday morning, issuing a rare apology and stating ‘Israel’s’ security heads had his “full backing.”

But the incident has done little to quell increasing frustration and anger directed at the Zionist regime’s leader for failing to anticipate the qualitative Hamas operation.

Netanyahu’s tweet comes at a time when he is also under increasing pressure from the families of detainees held by the Palestinian resistance group for a “comprehensive deal” to ensure their release. These calls are becoming more urgent amid concerns for what ‘Israel’s’ expanding ground invasion could mean for the safety of detainees held in Gaza.

In the now-deleted tweet, published in the early hours of Sunday morning local time, Netanyahu took a swipe at key security chiefs including Ronen Bar, the head of ‘Israel’s’ spy agency the Shin Bet, and Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of ‘Israel’s’ military intelligence.

“At no point was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Hamas’s intention to start a war. On the contrary, all the ‘defense’ officials, including the heads of the Intelligence Directorate and the Shin Bet, assessed that Hamas was deterred,” Netanyahu posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

An outpouring of criticism swiftly followed Netanyahu’s post, including from war cabinet member Benny Gantz, who expressed his support for intelligence chiefs and called on Netanyahu to retract his statements.

Opposition leader and former Zionist PM Yair Lapid also rebuked Netanyahu. “Netanyahu crossed a red line,” he posted Sunday on X. The attempts to evade responsibility and place the blame on the security establishment weakens the ‘Israeli’ military while it is fighting ‘Israel’s’ enemies, he added.

Amid the flurry of criticism, Netanyahu deleted the post on Sunday morning and issued an apology. “I was wrong. Things I said following the press conference should not have been said and I apologize for that,” he wrote on X. ‘Israel’s’ security chiefs had his “full backing,” he added.

“We spoke bluntly and made it clear to the prime minister in no uncertain terms that a comprehensive deal based on the ‘everyone for everyone’ principle is a deal the families would consider, and has the support of all of ‘Israel’,” mother of one of the detainees said on behalf of the families in a news conference following a meeting with Netanyahu.

An “everyone for everyone” deal would involve the release of the more than 200 detainees in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian detainees currently held behind ‘Israeli’ bars, which the nongovernmental organization Palestinian Prisoners Club estimates to be 6,630 people.

Hamas released a statement Saturday declaring the group was willing to engage in such a trade, but any such deal would be hugely controversial in the Zionist entity.