US ex-president: Israel having most sophisticated equipment could prevent October 7 attack

US ex-president Donald Trump has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized for what took place on October 7.

“I would say that what happened on—the October 7 should have never happened. It happened on his watch. And I think it's had a profound impact on him, despite everything. Because people said that shouldn't have happened. They have the most sophisticated equipment. They had—everything was there to stop that. And a lot of people knew about it, you know, thousands and thousands of people knew about it, but Israel didn't know about it, and I think he's being blamed for that very strongly, being blamed,” Trump said in an interview with TIME.

Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, spreading terror throughout the country. The carnage triggered a fierce response from Israel, whose military launched massive retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip. Since then, the Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million inhabitants, under Israeli blockade since 2007, has been living under bombardment, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.