Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published on Thursday that he was “sorry” that Hamas had succeeded in the October 7 attack without clearly claiming responsibility.
Netanyahu, who has resisted apologizing for security failures in Israel's worst attack yet and has focused on destroying Hamas, was asked in an interview with Time magazine whether he would apologize.
“Apologise?” He replied.
“Of course, of course. I'm sorry, deeply, that something like this happened. And you always look back and you say, 'Could we have done things to prevent this?' ” he said.
The right-wing leader is Israel's longest-serving prime minister and has long billed himself as a staunch defender of Israel's security.
Shortly after the October 7 attack, Netanyahu posted on social media that the intelligence services had failed to anticipate and warn of the Hamas operation.
He removed the post and apologized after many Israelis accused him of deflecting blame and endangering national unity.
In the interview, Time asked Netanyahu what message he would give to a political rival presiding over the country's worst security failure.
Netanyahu replied that it depends on whether the leader can lead Israel “to victory.”
“Can they assure that the post-war situation will be one of peace and security? If the answer is yes, they should stay in power.”
Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel's history on October 7. A total of 1,198 people were killed, most of them civilians, according to AFP figures based on official Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants have taken 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still being held in Gaza, 39 of whom the Israeli military said were killed.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not detail civilian and militant deaths.
