Kathmandu— As Israel approaches the three-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,139 Israelis and took 250 hostages, the event has become central to the country's political landscape, shaping the upcoming election campaign and fueling accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for security failures and blame-shifting tactics.

Security Failures Under Scrutiny

Critics, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot, have accused Netanyahu of ignoring warnings about Hamas and failing to prepare for the attack. Eisenkot has made an independent inquiry into the October 7 failures a key part of his electoral platform, while Bennett has highlighted the government's security doctrine that assumed Hamas had been deterred.

Netanyahu has defended himself by claiming senior defense officials deliberately withheld information about suspicious activity in Gaza before the attack, suggesting they knew he would have ordered immediate military alert. His wife Sara Netanyahu has also cited opposition leader Yair Golan's response to the attack as evidence of his foreknowledge, a claim academic Neve Gordon called conspiracy-mongering designed to confuse voters ahead of elections.

The election campaign continues to focus almost exclusively on the October 7 attack, with little public discussion about the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its humanitarian consequences.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

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Originally published on abcnews.com.np.