Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologised to the Israeli people for the October 7 attacks for the first time.

During a rare hour-long interview in Jerusalem with Time Magazine’s national political correspondent Eric Cortellessa, Netanyahu said, “I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened,” referring to the massacre in which over 1,200 Israelis were murdered by Hamas terrorists and more than 250 were kidnapped to Gaza.

Netanyahu made the apology with some prompting from Cortellessa, who questioned why the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet had all issued apologies for the failures that allowed the atrocities of October 7 to occur, but the PM's only public apology since the attack was to military and security officials whom he initially blamed for it.

“I've said that following the end of the war, there'll be an independent commission that will examine everything that happened before, and everybody will have to answer some tough questions, including me,” Netanyahu said, according to the full transcript provided.

“Will you do it right now? Will you apologise?” Cortellessa pressed.

Netanyahu then conceded, apologising to the Israel people and adding: “You always look back and you say, could we have done things that would have prevented it? You'd have to be—how could you not?”

Netanyahu also discussed the possibility of a multi-front war with Iran and Hezbollah, his handling of the conflict with Hamas, US-Israel relations, and the future of Israel and its neighbours in the Middle East.

Cortellessa inquired about some of the criticisms against Netanyahu's leadership, including that he is intentionally escalating regional tensions to prolong his time in power and that he has emboldened the Israeli far-right, but the PM dismissed these claims. He also denied that 40,000 Gazans have been killed since Israel began its campaign in the Strip, as has been cited by international media outlets, and estimated the number of casualties to be closer to 20,000.

Cortellessa asked if Netanyahu believes there is still a chance for a hostage deal following the assassinations of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and the PM answered in the affirmative, adding that a deal may be even more likely now that “the more extreme elements that oppose the deal are no longer with us.”

When Cortellessa mentioned polls showing that nearly three quarters of Israelis think Netanyahu should leave office now or right after the war, Netanyahu responded:

“I will stay in office as long as I believe I can help lead Israel to a future of security, enduring security and prosperity.”

He added: “For the moment, I think that I'm leading the effort that protects the country and assures its path to victory, which I think is getting closer.