Ex-Netanyahu Aide Claims Cover-Up of Pre-War Egyptian Intelligence Meeting

Avi Gil, former military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claims that crucial information regarding a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials before the October 7th war was deliberately concealed from the public and potentially from the Prime Minister himself. Gil, who was with Netanyahu on October 7th, stated in interviews that "what is told to the public is not what really happened." He asserted that an Egyptian intelligence plane landed in Israel for over an hour shortly before the war, an event he believes was not a mere coincidence. Gil alleges that someone met with Egyptian officials or received information and failed to report it, and that this information is still being hidden today. He also clarified that the Chief of Staff and head of Shin Bet do not directly contact the Prime Minister but go through his office, and that while there was no intentional concealment from Netanyahu, information was misinterpreted. Gil further stated that Netanyahu began to believe in early 2023 that there was a personal vendetta against him and that the military was involved. Separately, a report in The Atlantic indicates the White House asked the Pentagon to develop options for strikes against Iranian targets before the US midterm elections, reflecting President Trump's desire to lower fuel prices and show progress in the war.