Israel’s Netanyahu faces reckoning over Hamas disaster

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, has built his reputation as a security hawk, thanks to his service in an elite special forces unit that conducted some of Israel's most daring hostage rescues. However, his legacy as the longest-serving leader of his country is now being shaped by one of the worst security failures it has ever experienced. Palestinian Hamas gunmen from Gaza seized over 200 hostages and killed 1,400 people, marking the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history. The magnitude of the killing and the violent images that emerged from the southern Israeli communities around Gaza have deeply shaken the country. Netanyahu, 74, is in his sixth term as prime minister and leads one of Israel's most extreme right-wing coalitions. He has been under increasing pressure as the initial shock has given way to public outrage over the failures that allowed the attack to occur.

Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility, stating that everyone will have to answer difficult questions once the war with Hamas concludes. In one of his rare press conferences, he dismissed a question about whether he would resign. However, the country's mood has shifted, with opinion polls indicating a large majority blaming him. This sentiment is reinforced by images of cabinet ministers being publicly berated when they step out of their official cars. A poll conducted by the Maariv newspaper on October 18-19 showed that former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, the head of an opposition centrist party in a newly formed unity government, was preferred as prime minister by 48 per cent of respondents, compared to only 28 per cent for Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is also facing a corruption trial, which he denies. His popularity had already been damaged by a contentious battle over plans to curb the powers of the Supreme Court, which led hundreds of thousands of Israelis to protest for months. For now, political consequences have been put on hold as Israeli jets conduct air strikes that the Gaza health ministry says have killed at least 8,796 Palestinians. Israeli tanks have also penetrated deep into the blockaded enclave. However, much will depend on the outcome of the operation, whose stated goal is to permanently destroy Hamas, and whether his own party will continue to support him amid the increasingly loud calls for change.