Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of the October 7, 2023 attack, also accusing former Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of misleading the PM and failing to provide him with sufficient intelligence regarding Hamas’ intentions. In an interview with Israel’s public radio, Ben-Gvir reiterated his demand to receive the defense portfolio following Israel’s upcoming election. “After I get the defense portfolio, I will make sure to burn Sinwar’s body and the bodies of the October 7th terrorists. As Defense Minister, I will lead a significant change in approach,” he said. Ben-Gvir said of Netanyahu: “I also have criticisms of him, which is why I am in the Jewish Power party and not Likud.” He said, “Before October, I presented a different vision for Gaza, but it was met with contempt by senior officials. They belittled me as national security minister, while Netanyahu also dismissed me, saying that security professionals believed nothing would happen from Gaza. That was just one week before October 7.” Ben-Gvir also responded to accusations that Netanyahu had facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip, saying the decision had not been made within the government or the security cabinet. Had he been in office at the time, he said, he would have “turned the table” and rejected such a decision. The minister noted that he previously resigned from the government after objecting to some of its decisions. “In the end, it turned out I was right about everything I said. No one believed me, and no one listened to me.” On September 22, Ben-Gvir said he will seek the post of defense minister in the next government, as the country prepares for next month's elections. “The reason I am putting myself forward is that the time has come to change the mindset within the army,” Ben Gvir said, at a press conference in Jerusalem. The minister put forward a “security plan” that includes the “encouragement of voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from both Gaza and the occupied West Bank. On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir threatened to make sure the body of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024, would be burned. Sinwar, who headed Hamas in Gaza during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and later became chairman of the group’s political bureau, was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah in October 2024.
