Israel Won the Battles. Did It Lose the War?

With Israeli national elections just over a month away, the attacks of October 7, 2023, and the question of who is responsible for the failures that led to the deadliest day in Israeli history, have taken center stage. At the core of much of that discourse is Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I call on everyone to say things clearly: Netanyahu bears responsibility for October 7, and he must go home,” said opposition leader Avigdor Liberman in a Thursday video on X. A few weeks ago, Netanyahu attempted to cast blame elsewhere, claiming that security officials purposefully did not wake him until hours after the attacks began.

Netanyahu has faced criticism for repeatedly blocking the creation of a national commission to investigate the failures on October 7. But if the rhetoric of the election campaign is any indication, the country is desperate for information. In particular: How did Hamas—long considered Israel’s least formidable foe—succeed in carrying out the most horrific attack in the country’s history? And why, three years into a war Israelis were told would finish off Hamas once and for all, is the terrorist group still standing?