Netanyahu Details October 7th Schedule Amidst Criticism

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a detailed account of his schedule on the morning of October 7th, responding to a report by Kan News. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu was first alerted to the attack from Gaza by his military secretary at 6:29 AM. A second update call with the military secretary occurred at 6:44 AM. During these early calls, the Prime Minister questioned why intelligence reports had not indicated the impending attack and asked about the necessity of a large-scale reserve mobilization and the possibility of eliminating Hamas leadership.

Netanyahu departed for the Kirya military headquarters around 7:30 AM, during which time he spoke with the Defense Minister, who reported an unclear situation. The Prime Minister then instructed that a situation assessment meeting be convened in the underground command bunker. He arrived at the Kirya around 8:00 AM, with Shin Bet records indicating 8:22 AM. By 8:40 AM, the Defense Minister had met with the IDF Chief of Staff and the head of the Shin Bet to formulate a situation assessment for the upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister.

Between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM, Netanyahu received ongoing intelligence and field updates from his military secretariat team. Notably, at 9:47 AM, his military secretary received a situation assessment document that the Shin Bet chief had prepared at 5:15 AM that morning.

At 9:55 AM, Netanyahu chaired a situation assessment meeting in the bunker with key security officials, including the Defense Minister, IDF Chief of Staff, head of the Shin Bet, and head of the National Security Council. During this meeting, he ordered a complete lockdown of the border to prevent hostages from being taken to Gaza and further infiltration by terrorists. He rejected the IDF's recommendation for partial reserve mobilization, ordering a full mobilization instead, and directed preparations for the northern front.

Following the bunker meeting, the Prime Minister held a limited security consultation with the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff.