A senior defense official claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined 11 opportunities to target Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, in early 2023, months before the deadly October 7 attacks. According to the report, Israeli intelligence located Sinwar multiple times and recommended assassination operations, but Netanyahu refused to authorize them or even convene discussions on the matter. The Prime Minister's Office strongly denied the allegations, insisting that Netanyahu pushed for eliminating Hamas leadership but was blocked by security officials. Sinwar, seen as the mastermind behind the attacks, was eventually killed in 2024 during military operations in Rafah.
image sourced from original article at https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-netanyahu-turned-down-11-chances-to-kill-hamas-leader-sinwar-in-2023/Original article source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-netanyahu-turned-down-11-chances-to-kill-hamas-leader-sinwar-in-2023/
Source Id: 2026-01-964136067
