Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, on Monday claimed responsibility for the failure of his services to prevent a bloody attack by Hamas on Israeli cities on October 7, The Times of Israel reported.

“Despite the series of actions we took, unfortunately on Saturday we were unable to create sufficient warning to counter the attack,” Shin Bet director Ronen Bar said in a letter to agency members, News.ro reports.

“As someone who leads the organization, the responsibility is on me,” he said.

“There will be time for investigation. Now we are fighting,” said Ronen Bar.

In the hours before the Oct. 7 attack, which killed more than 1,300 people, the defense ministry detected unusual movements in Gaza, prompting late-night phone calls between senior officials, but the tips were largely dismissed.

However, according to Israeli media reports, Ronen Bar went to the agency’s headquarters and ordered the deployment of a small group to the Gaza border, anticipating a small attack.

According to the agency, at least 10 Shin Bet members were killed in the October 7 terrorist attacks.

“We are in a war, not a round (of combat). You win a round with a picture of victory and (further) silence; the war ends with a decisive victory and a change in the situation. There is no limit, there is no time limit. Until the end,” said Ronen Bar in his message.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday that the Israeli nation is united in its goal of defeating Hamas, while admitting that it was intelligence and security failures that allowed the Palestinian movement to carry out such a devastating attack. . He announced an investigation into the matter.

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