News · US
Oct. 7 aftermath divides Israelis over Netanyahu
Foreign policyThe lasting impact of Oct. 7 is shaping how Israelis judge Netanyahu as the country approaches an election.
The Ballot National DeskOct 9, 2026
McGurk’s account
Brett McGurk, a former senior Middle East official in the Biden and Trump administrations, discussed his experience during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel and the months of diplomacy that followed.
Appearing on NBC News’s Meet the Press NOW, he described what he remembered from the White House that day and addressed the 15-month negotiation period after the attack.
His account connected the immediate White House response to the longer diplomatic effort that unfolded over the next 15 months.
Roles across two administrations
McGurk served as a deputy assistant responsible for the Middle East under President Joe Biden and as a special presidential envoy under President Donald Trump. That experience placed him in senior foreign-policy roles across two administrations and gave him a direct view of U.S. Middle East policy.
The interview focused on the Oct. 7 attack, the hostage negotiations and McGurk’s recollection of decision-making inside the Biden White House. The appearance was a foreign-policy discussion tied to his account of government negotiations, not a campaign event.
McGurk’s remarks and book present the 15-month talks as the central diplomatic effort after the attack, with hostage releases and the course of the war forming the core of the discussion.
