JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official on Saturday admitted “mistakes” in intelligence assessments ahead of a brutal Hamas attack last weekend that took the country by surprise.
Palestinian militants early October 7 launched a multi-pronged assault, breaching the Gaza border barrier and targeting southern Israeli communities and army bases.
“It’s my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making (intelligence) assessments,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told a press briefing when asked about his recent remarks predicting no Hamas aggression.
“We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from” its last major war with Israel in 2021, Hanegbi said.
More than 1,300 civilians and security forces have been killed since the attack began, according to Israeli officials, and at least 120 have been seized by militants and believed to be held captive in Gaza.
Hanegbi rejected negotiations toward any prisoner swap deal with Hamas.
“There’s no way to negotiate with an enemy we have sworn to obliterate,” he said.
Relentless Israeli air strikes on the blockaded Palestinian enclave over the past week have killed upwards of 2,200 including at least 600 children, Hamas officials said.
Israel admits intelligence ‘mistakes’ in failing to predict Hamas attacks
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Israel admits intelligence ‘mistakes’ in failing to predict Hamas attacks
- "It's my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making (intelligence) assessments," said National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi
- Israel admits intelligence ‘mistakes’ in failing to predict Hamas attacks
UN presses Houthis for release of 73 detained staff as Yemen envoy holds talks in Oman
- Hans Grundberg meets in Muscat with senior Omani officials, and discusses with chief Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam pathways for political dialogue
- The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen including the capital, Sanaa, have detained UN employees and conducted raids on the organization’s premises
NEW YORK CITY: The UN said on Tuesday that extensive diplomatic efforts continue in an effort to secure the immediate release of dozens of UN staff arbitrarily detained by the Houthi militia in Yemen.
It came as the UN’s special envoy for the war-torn country, Hans Grundberg, held talks in the region aimed at reviving a political process to end the conflict.
He met senior Omani officials in Muscat on Tuesday to discuss recent developments in Yemen and the wider regional context, a UN spokesperson said. Oman has played a key mediation role during the conflict in Yemen.
Grundberg also met Mohammed Abdul Salam, chief negotiator for the Houthis, to discuss pathways for political dialogue.
The issue of detained UN staff featured prominently in the meetings. During the talks, the UN said, the envoy stressed the need to maintain momentum regarding the release of conflict-related detainees, building on discussions held in Muscat in December.
Grundberg and Muin Shreim, the UN official leading discussions about detainees, raised concerns about the continuing arbitrary detention of UN personnel and called for their immediate and unconditional release, stressing the need to respect the safety and security of all UN staff, both locals and foreigners.
“One of the main topics consistently raised in all our discussions, as you can imagine, remains the fate of 73 of our colleagues who continue to be arbitrarily detained by the Houthis, some since 2021,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
The UN demands the immediate and unconditional release of all detained members of staff from international and local nongovernmental organizations and civil society groups, and persons who had previously worked with diplomatic missions, he added.
The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen including the capital, Sanaa, have detained UN employees and conducted raids on the organization’s premises in areas under their control.
In October last year, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi accused employees of the UN and humanitarian agencies of spying for Israel and the US. The UN denies the allegations. Following the accusations, the Houthis detained several members of UN staff and seized assets belonging to the organization.
During his meetings, Grundberg reaffirmed the UN’s continuing engagement with all parties in support of efforts to ensure a return to an inclusive political process that ends the near-decade-long war, which has devastated Yemen and triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
