Netanyahu's Office Releases October 7th Schedule Amidst Controversy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has released his schedule for October 7, 2023, the day Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel. The schedule, published for the first time, indicates that Netanyahu's first conversation with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi occurred around 9:55 AM, more than three hours after the war began. Earlier, at 9:45 AM, a situation assessment meeting took place with security chiefs, during which Netanyahu ordered the border to be "hermetically sealed," according to Kan news.

Controversy surrounds the timing of Netanyahu's initial awareness and communications. His office stated he received the first notification of the attack at 6:29 AM via WhatsApp, a conversation for which no transcript exists. A second call, reportedly via a secure line, is listed by his office as occurring at 6:44 AM. However, a document obtained by Kan Hadashot and aired on the program "Uvda" claims this second call actually took place at 6:29 AM, suggesting a falsification of the time. This discrepancy is reportedly part of a police investigation that has included questioning Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman.

According to Netanyahu's office, his military secretary first informed him of the Gaza attack at 6:29 AM. A second conversation with the military secretary followed at 6:44 AM, during which the Prime Minister questioned the lack of such intelligence beforehand and asked about the need for large-scale reservist mobilization and the possibility of eliminating Hamas leadership. He reportedly traveled to the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv at 7:30 AM, speaking with the Defense Minister en route, who indicated a lack of a clear picture of events.

Netanyahu arrived at the Kirya at 8:22 AM, according to Shin Bet records. His office states that 18 minutes later, at 8:40 AM, he convened the chief of staff and the head of Shin Bet to form a situational picture before the main assessment meeting. Between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM, Netanyahu reportedly received intelligence updates from his military secretariat. The military secretary received a situation assessment document, prepared by Shin Bet at 5:15 AM, at 9:47 AM.