Ex-Military Secretary Claims Protocols Falsified; Opposition Demands Probe, Netanyahu Cites Betrayal

Former Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Gil, has broken his three-year silence, revealing details about the intelligence and warnings preceding the October 7th Hamas attack. In an interview, Gil stated that while there was no single, explicit warning of an imminent large-scale attack, numerous alerts indicated a deterioration of Israeli deterrence and a sense of weakness among adversaries. He also noted that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar had delivered a significant warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu four months before the attack, and that Gil himself had conveyed concerning information to Netanyahu while the latter was hospitalized.

Gil further disclosed that recommendations for preemptive strikes in Gaza before the holiday were not acted upon, though he declined to specify why or by whom the decision was made. He recounted receiving intelligence at 3:55 AM on October 7th, including unusual signs like SIM card activation and the disappearance of senior officials, but the accompanying assessment deemed it not immediately urgent. Gil was only alerted at 6:12 AM, shortly before rocket barrages began. He then called Netanyahu to inform him of the widespread Hamas assault, with a call confirming "We are at war" at 6:40 AM.

A particularly contentious claim by Gil is that an attempt was made to alter the record of a conversation, with a stenographer allegedly reporting an order to change the time of a call from 6:40 AM to 6:29 AM, which Gil described as a "change of truth." Despite these serious failures, Gil explicitly rejected the notion of intentional "betrayal," stating he saw no evidence that anyone knowingly concealed the attack, but rather "enormous and severe failures," primarily within the security establishment.

Gil's revelations ignited a political firestorm. Opposition figures, including Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Lapid, called for investigations, with Eisenkot urging the Attorney General to examine the claims for potential false information to the State Comptroller. The Movement for Quality of Government also demanded an investigation and preservation of relevant records. Lapid accused Netanyahu of ignoring prior warnings, while other opposition MKs echoed similar criticisms.

In response, the Prime Minister's office vehemently denied the allegations. Netanyahu countered that Gil, like others, knew about the impending attack and "chose not to wake the Prime Minister." He framed Gil's interview as an attempt to "obscure the simple and painful truth about the failure in performance." Netanyahu's son, Yair, further questioned the generals' alleged warnings, asking why the IDF's readiness was allegedly lowered on October 7th if they had indeed warned of an attack, suggesting potential "betrayal" by the security system. The Prime Minister and his supporters are pushing back against claims of criminal responsibility, while the opposition insists that only a state commission of inquiry can determine who knew what and why necessary decisions were not made.