Ex-Netanyahu Aide Accuses PM of Falsifying Records on Oct. 7
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS French by baba
Retired Major General Avi Gil, former military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Netanyahu of falsifying official records and ignoring security recommendations before the October 7 Hamas attack. Gil claims to have documented events and intends to submit his notes to an inquiry commission. Netanyahu's office countered by accusing Gil of withholding information. The accusations have led to widespread political backlash, with opposition leaders demanding investigations and Netanyahu's resignation.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former military secretary Avi Gil accuses PM Netanyahu of falsifying records on Oct. 7.
- Gil claims security recommendations were rejected before the Hamas attack.
- Netanyahu's office accused Gil of withholding information about the attack.
- Opposition leaders are demanding investigations and Netanyahu's resignation.
- Gil provided a timeline of events and alleged attempts to alter official reports.
Retired Major General Avi Gil, who served as Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary, has broken his silence, accusing the Prime Minister and his staff of falsifying official records and rejecting security recommendations prior to the October 7 Hamas attack. Gil, 54, who previously served as military secretary to Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, stated in a Thursday interview with Israel's Channel N12 that he personally woke Netanyahu on the morning of the attack. He claims to have documented events in 16 notebooks, the contents of which have been digitized and stored on a classified military intelligence computer. Gil intends to submit these notes to a future national inquiry commission.
Gil specifically disputes Netanyahu's account of events presented in a document to the State Comptroller, calling it "lies and half-truths" that do not reflect his direct experience. He also asserted that preventive operation recommendations against terrorists in Gaza were submitted to the Prime Minister but not approved. While Gil confirmed no specific warning indicated an attack of the scale seen, he noted that warnings had signaled a weakening of Israeli deterrence due to internal divisions.
Netanyahu's office responded by accusing Gil of withholding information about the impending attack and failing to wake the Prime Minister in time. Gil, however, provided a detailed timeline, stating that intelligence received at 3:55 AM indicated suspicious activity in Gaza but also suggested a lack of immediate urgency. He was awakened at 6:12 AM and contacted Netanyahu after rocket fire began, informing him at 6:40 AM, "We are at war." Gil further alleged that Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, requested the time of this crucial exchange be altered in an official report from 6:40 AM to 6:29 AM, an act Gil described as falsification and which he reported to the Attorney General.
The revelations have triggered a political storm, with opposition leaders demanding investigations. Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of betraying the public's trust and urged the Attorney General to investigate potential criminal offenses. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for Netanyahu's immediate resignation, stating the revelations warrant both a national inquiry and a criminal investigation. Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of ignoring warnings and attempting to rewrite history, while Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan also called for investigations and described the revelations as a "seismic" event.
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