Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused security officials on September 1 and 2, 2026, of intentionally failing to wake him on the morning of Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attack that killed at least 370 people at a music festival near Gaza [1, 2, 3].

Netanyahu said the officials avoided waking him to prevent military escalation and because they did not believe Hamas would launch an attack. “Why didn’t they wake me? Because they knew that I, as prime minister of Israel, would immediately have ordered to put the entire army on alert, to wake up all the towns (on the Gaza border)... It’s so obvious that all of this could have been done. This has been hidden from the public,” he said [1]. He added, “They didn’t believe Hamas would attack. They knew exactly what I would do” [2].

Netanyahu's claims have intensified scrutiny of the security forces’ handling of intelligence and crisis response on that day. The prime minister faces tight elections later in 2026 and has come under sustained criticism for failures linked to the security breach [1, 2, 3].

Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, added a political charge by claiming on September 1 that opposition figure Yair Golan was aware of the Hamas attack plans in advance and was already prepared on the morning of October 7, 2023. She said, “Yair Golan was already dressed and ready at dawn that day, while others knew nothing, including the prime minister” [1, 3].

Yair Golan, a former deputy military chief of staff and leader of Israel’s centre-left Democrats party, strongly denied the accusation and threatened to sue Sara Netanyahu for 2.5 million shekels over the claim [1, 3]. On the day of the attack, Golan rushed to southern Israel to help rescue at least six people at the Nova music festival, where Hamas killed at least 370 attendees [1, 3].

The Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, overwhelmed Israeli security and resulted in one of the worst civilian death tolls in recent years [1, 3]. Netanyahu’s allegations build on his August 31 podcast comments blaming military leadership and officials for refusing to wake him just before the attack began [1].

On September 2, Netanyahu reiterated his accusations in a live Instagram interview and podcast, maintaining pressure on security officials while his wife’s claims stirred ongoing political debate [2, 3].

No official security or government investigation has yet publicly confirmed Netanyahu’s allegations, but the controversy has sharpened political divisions ahead of the upcoming election season in Israel.