Netanyahu denies receiving prior warning of possible Hamas attack
Israeli prime minister says he was only alerted as the assault from Gaza beganOne Israeli security official told the Financial Times that the Israeli military forces arrayed in the Gaza border region were thin because many soldiers were on home leave for the Sabbath and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
Anger has also been directed at Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, whose ministers initially disappeared from public view in the war’s opening days. Their appearances later in the week were often met with angry denunciations by the public. “You all have ruined this country, get out of here!” one doctor yelled at environment minister Idit Silman outside a hospital in central Israel. According to an opinion poll taken on Sunday by Agam Research, an Israeli company, 45 per cent of Israeli Jews now fear for their personal safety and 70 per cent fear for the country’s security. Opinion polls released by the Maariv daily showed Netanyahu’s Likud party losing more than a third of its previous support.
