https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68318856

<quote>

Israel's prime minister missed the chance to starve Hamas of cash, years before its murderous attack last October, according to a former senior Israeli intelligence officer.

Mr Levy - who was head of economic warfare in the Mossad, Israel's spy agency, until 2016 - says he told Mr Netanyahu many times that Israel had the means to crush Hamas, which controls Gaza, "by using only financial tools".

In 2019, Mr Netanyahu told colleagues in his ruling Likud party: "Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas… This is part of our strategy - to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank."

</quote>

Not so much "missed his chance" but decided on a far more dangerous strategy.

There are still questions needing answers as to why Israel's defences were so lax, lacking and less responsive than usual, on the day Hamas were allowed to carry out their attack - on an anniversary when the opportunity for an attack was so easily predictable, and had been warned of.

Belief that Netanyahu allowed the attack to take place still remains in some quarters.