Ex-Netanyahu Aide Avi Gil Breaks Silence on Oct. 7 Failures

Retired Major General Avi Gil, who served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary on the morning of October 7, 2023, has broken his three-year silence to detail the events leading up to and during the Hamas attack. Gil stated that he documented everything in 16 notebooks, which he has ensured are digitized and stored securely. He intends to provide all this information to a state inquiry commission when it is established.

Gil revealed that while there was no specific, pinpointed warning of the attack, the security establishment repeatedly warned of a deteriorating deterrence and the enemy identifying a rift and weakness within Israel. He confirmed that recommendations for counter-terrorism operations in Gaza were made but not approved by Netanyahu. Gil also addressed the claim that the Prime Minister's office attempted to alter protocols shortly after the war began, stating that what was submitted to the State Comptroller did not accurately reflect the discussions he witnessed, calling it "half-truths" and "things that do not reflect what I witnessed."

He described the chaotic early hours of October 7, noting he woke Netanyahu at 6:12 AM after receiving intelligence, and then informed him of the war at 6:40 AM. Gil refuted claims that the military and intelligence chiefs deliberately withheld information from Netanyahu, calling such accusations "lies" and damaging to national resilience. He also touched upon the issue of hostage negotiations, agreeing with former Operations Directorate head Nitzan Alon that "we could have brought back all the hostages earlier," suggesting political considerations influenced decisions.

Furthermore, Gil detailed an incident where a staffer was allegedly instructed to alter the timestamp of a crucial 6:40 AM call on October 7 to 6:29 AM, which he described as a "change of truth" and a "forgery." He expressed concern over political figures without security clearance being present in sensitive war rooms and noted attempts to influence narratives, such as focusing on Egyptian troop movements in Sinai.

Gil concluded by emphasizing that leadership inherently comes with responsibility and that while failures occurred, he believes no one intentionally concealed information. He expressed hope that history will judge him based on facts and truth.