Netanyahu says there were ‘failures’ by Israel on Oct. 7 in Dr. Phil interview

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Thursday interview with “Dr. Phil” McGraw that there were “failures” by his country on Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.

“There were failures, obviously,” Netanyahu said. “First of all, government. The government’s first responsibility is to protect the people. That’s the ultimate enveloping responsibility. And the people weren’t protected. We have to admit that.”

The Oct. 7 attack left nearly 1,200 people dead, and more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s current war in Gaza following the attack.

In the interview with McGraw, Netanyahu also said that there is a need for a “thorough explanation” for what happened in Israel during October 2023.

“I think we’re gonna have to have a thorough examination, once the war ends, of exactly what happened, how it happened, and who… you know, who made it happen?” the Israeli prime minister continued. 

Netanyahu’s interview came a day after President Biden warned that he would stop giving offensive weapons such as bombs and artillery shells to Israel, if its forces begin an invasion into Rafah.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said Wednesday to CNN’s Erin Burnett.

“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem,” Biden added.