Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to take down former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a week before October 7, Channel 12 journalist Omri Maniv told Erel Segal and Eyal Berkovic on Sunday.
The discussion on 103FM revealed new details that could shed light on Israel’s failure to prevent the October 7 attack.
At the beginning of the conversation, Maniv outlined Hamas’ strategy leading up to the attack. He noted that Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, was the one who ordered the assault on Israel.
"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 that they were heading for a real operation."
He further revealed that Deif had set a crucial condition for the attack: "Mohammed Deif made a decision before the attack that if he saw drones, he would not launch this attack. The attack was scheduled for six o'clock, and it turns out that the original attack time was six o'clock, not six twenty-nine. He said: 'Something is not right with me.'"
IDF alertness could have prevented the attack
Maniv asserted that heightened IDF alertness could have prevented the attack. "If we had prepared for a major assault instead of an infiltration by thousands of people and had positioned drones in the sky and tanks in place, at least on that day, there would have been no October 7."
"Deif didn't believe it. He said there couldn't be anything, so he waited half an hour to see if they were doing a trick on him. He saw that they weren’t doing anything, and then he gave the order to attack," Maniv explained. He noted that while Yahya Sinwar was the overall leader, Deif was the one commanding the military wing.
Maniv also revealed details of a security meeting held on October 1, six days before the attack. He noted that, for the first time in a long period, Hamas publicly claimed responsibility for an attack in the West Bank. "As soon as it took responsibility, you understand that it is saying that it is prepared for a significant escalation. Then they gathered and asked, 'How do you respond to such an event?'"
At the meeting, the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) proposed two courses of action: "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 did not respond to the proposal. "Netanyahu ignored the offer to take down Sinwar."