Liberman said that "time after time," Netanyahu prevented targeted strikes against Hamas leaders, which he claimed eventually led to his departure from the government.
"For years, Netanyahu nurtured Hamas, and today, we are all paying the price," said Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman in a post on X/Twitter on Friday morning.
Liberman noted in his social media post that he opposed the prime minister on the release of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and over 1,000 other terrorists in exchange for Gilad Schalit in 2011.
He continued to say that three years later, during Operation Protective Edge, he had prior demands to take over the Gaza Strip and defeat Hamas.
"Between 2016–2018, Netanyahu often ignored my warnings as defense minister," he added. "On December 21, 2016, I delivered him a detailed document in which I demanded a preemptive strike against the terror organization. I explicitly warned about Hamas’s intention to infiltrate Israeli territory with Nukhba forces, to seize communities, take hostages, and shake Israeli society."
Liberman said that "time after time," Netanyahu prevented targeted strikes against Hamas leaders, which he claimed other members of the security echelon could back up.
Liberman says Netanyahu propped up Hamas with Qatar money
In late 2018, Liberman said that he had pushed for another operation to eliminate Hamas, but Netanyahu passed a ceasefire and pursued an “arrangement” policy with Qatar. The Yisrael Beytenu head claimed that this policy transferred thousands of dollars from Qatar to Hamas.
Liberman said that this caused him to resign as defense minister that year.
“The decision on a ceasefire with Hamas is a surrender to terror. You are buying quiet in the short term at the cost of severe harm to national security in the long term," he said during a press conference announcing his departure.
He then called for elections, stating that the next government would need to form a state commission of inquiry on the October 7 Massacre.
"There, all those responsible, Netanyahu first and foremost, will have to be held accountable. The citizens of Israel deserve to know the facts. We will not give up on this," he wrote.
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