“Total Lie” – Netanyahu Slams Report That He Rejected Proposal to Eliminate Sinwar 1 Week Before Oct. 7

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office sharply rejected a Sunday report that he turned down a proposal from the Shin Bet to eliminate Hamas’ Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar a week before the Oct. 7 massacre, in a shocking report made earlier in the day by Channel 12 journalist Omri Maniv.

Netanyahu’s office said that, on the contrary, the Prime Minister had been the one who was in favor of eliminating Hamas’ leadership.

Maniv, in an interview with radio hosts Erel Segal and Eyal Berkovic, outlined Hamas’ strategy leading up to the attack. Among his revelations were that Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, was the one who issued the order to attack Israeli towns on the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

The terrorisrs were also wary of any Israeli drones or surveillance, and kept the massacre a secret from the Nukhba terrorists until shortly before the attack, to prevent leaks.

“Hamas understood that without the element of surprise, they had no operation,” Maniv said.

“We know how much effort they put into secrecy. Even members of Nukhba, Hamas’ elite unit, were only informed shortly before…”

But more shocking was Maniv’s report on Netanyahu meeting with security officials and the Shin Bet on October 1, after Hamas publicly claimed responsibility for an attack in Yehudah and Shomron, which signaled that they were ramping up their terrorism.

“Then they gathered and asked, ‘How do you respond to such an event?'”

The Chief of the Shin Bet presented Netanyahu with two possible options: “The first is to behead the leaders of Hamas, with an emphasis on Sinwar. If you say that’s too much, then behead the planners of the attacks, the Hamas people in Gaza who maintained their connections in the West Bank.”

According to Maniv, “Netanyahu ignored the offer to take down Sinwar.”

“A total lie,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement regarding the report
“The truth is completely the opposite. On October 1, 2023, there was a situation assessment led by the Prime Minister on the Gaza issue, in which the head of the Shin Bet Ronan Bar recommended giving civilian benefits to Hamas in exchange for buying peace.

“Shin Bet chief Bar even said that conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon must be avoided in order to avoid another round in Gaza.

“In that discussion, it was the Prime Minister who recommended, in a scenario of escalation, the thwarting of the Hamas leadership in Gaza.

“Furthermore, in the intelligence assessment delivered to the Prime Minister on October 3, 2023, Shin Bet chief Bar emphatically stated that Hamas aims to avoid a campaign against Israel, and he even saw the potential for maintaining stability in Gaza over time if Israel gives Gaza a positive economic outlook.”