Minister Without Portfolio Benny Gantz told the press Thursday that, as a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, he bears some responsibility for Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7.
“Anyone who has been part of the leadership or defense of the State of Israel in any role cannot shake off the responsibility for what happened,” he said. “For more than 20 years, I’ve held key roles in the defense of Israel. I am not releasing myself from the responsibility for things that happened or didn’t happen.”
He did, however, voice the same sentiment of others in the government, saying that Israel would have to wait until after the war for a full investigation to hold those at fault responsible.
In the meantime, Gantz said he believes entering the government was the right decision. “It’s been two weeks since we entered the emergency government and established the war cabinet,” he said. “I can say with full confidence that it was the right move for the State of Israel, and this has already proven itself in decision-making, in the diplomatic and security functioning, in the internal message to Israeli society, and in the external message to our enemies.”
He also denied that the cabinet was not getting along with other defense officials, and said that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s demand for a ministerial addition from the far-right was not a good idea.
As for his National Unity Party’s future in the government after the war, Gantz assured Israel that “just as I knew when to enter the government, I’ll know when to get out.”
Preparing for the next steps of the war
He went on to say that the cabinet and the IDF were preparing the next steps in the war, but did not go into detail, saying only that Israel would act bearing in mind its continued international legitimacy and that bringing the hostages home is a high priority of the war.
He ended his briefing noting that a planned ceremony for Thursday to mark 28 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had to be canceled. But Gantz recalled a quote from the former prime minister: “We will no longer trust others, kind as they are. Only we will protect ourselves and every Jew. Behind our tears, stands a nation and a strong – and just – power.”