Updated

Reports citing text messages between senior Netanyahu advisers Topaz Luk, Eli Feldstein and Jonatan Urich allege the aides discussed the prime minister's public image during the October 7 Hamas massacre, with one message reportedly saying 'let them burn' regarding the IDF being slow to respond. The messages have fueled accusations that Netanyahu's inner circle prioritized protecting his image over urgent military and rescue decisions during the attack. Netanyahu has now offered his own account of the crucial hours before the assault, claiming that defense officials deliberately chose not to wake him because they feared he would order an aggressive mobilization and strikes on anyone approaching the border, which they worried would provoke a Hamas attack. The claim shifts blame toward security chiefs and adds a new, contested narrative to the ongoing controversy over the government's failures on October 7, further inflaming political tensions in Israel over accountability for the attack.