Former Netanyahu Aide Accuses Israeli PM of Evading Responsibility for October 7 Attack
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently facing charges for leaking classified information, has alleged that Netanyahu’s immediate priority after the October 7 Al-Aqsa Storm operation was to avoid responsibility for the security failure.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Feldstein revealed that Netanyahu asked him, ‘What are they saying in the news? Are they talking about responsibility for this attack?’ The former aide stated the prime minister wanted him to devise a media strategy to deflect questions about accountability.
Feldstein described Netanyahu as appearing ‘terrified’ during these discussions, with close associates later recommending removing the word ‘responsibility’ from all official statements. Netanyahu’s office dismissed the claims as ‘a long series of false and repetitive allegations’ made by someone with clear personal interests.
The revelations come as Feldstein faces charges for allegedly disclosing classified military information to a German newspaper, amid efforts to improve Netanyahu’s public image following the deaths of six Israeli prisoners in Gaza in August 2024.
The Al-Aqsa Storm operation, launched by Palestinian resistance groups on October 7, 2023, involved coordinated land, sea, and air attacks that penetrated several Israeli settlements near Gaza. The operation, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages being taken to Gaza, was conducted in response to Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque and ongoing settlement crimes in Jerusalem.
