Ex-Netanyahu Aide Claims Attempt to Alter War Outbreak Protocol

Retired Major General Avi Gill, who served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary during the October 7th Hamas attack, alleges that an attempt was made in the Prime Minister's office to alter the recorded time of a call in which Netanyahu was first informed about the war's outbreak. Gill stated in a Channel 12 interview that two to three weeks after the war began, he became aware of an unusual collection of protocols and transcripts in the Prime Minister's office, which he claims was done against regulations. He subsequently contacted the Attorney General to clarify procedures. According to Gill, Deputy Attorney General Gila Limon later issued a document detailing how protocols could be accessed and what actions were prohibited.

However, Gill claims that in January, a secretary in the Prime Minister's office told him she was instructed to bring the transcript of his October 7th morning call with Netanyahu and change the call's time. "She was instructed to change the call time from 06:40 to 06:29," Gill recounted, identifying the "head of staff" as the one who gave the order. He noted the secretary recognized the irregularity, stating, "I'm not allowed to change it." Gill asserted that the original call time is documented on the computer and in recordings, with timestamps showing 06:40 and 06:44.

Gill reported he immediately contacted the Attorney General again, documenting the issue in writing. He requested no immediate action due to the ongoing war but felt it crucial to record the event, calling the alteration of a transcript "a change of the truth" and "forgery." He emphasized he doesn't know if other protocol changes occurred, stating, "I know what I know. Factually, they were instructed to change a call time. Are there other changes? I don't know."

He recommended that future inquiry committees and the State Comptroller demand original recordings, not just transcripts. Gill also detailed the morning of October 7th, stating he was alerted to suspicious signs in Gaza at 06:12, called the IDF Chief of Staff's office at 06:22 as rockets began falling, and then informed Netanyahu of a wide-scale surprise attack. He reconnected with Netanyahu at 06:40, stating, "We are at war."

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Channel 12 that, like others, Avi Gill knew about the approaching attack and chose not to wake the Prime Minister at the time. Netanyahu characterized Gill's interviews as attempts to obscure the "simple and painful truth about the failure in his performance."