Ex-Netanyahu Aide's Interview Sparks Political Firestorm, Calls for Probe

Statements made by Avi Gil, former military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an interview with Israel's Channel 12 have ignited a political storm, leading to demands for a criminal investigation into the Prime Minister. Gadi Eisenkot, head of the "Yachad" party, has formally requested the State Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, to examine whether Netanyahu committed criminal offenses. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that Netanyahu should resign immediately, while Avigdor Lieberman, head of the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party and a Knesset member, called for an investigation into suspicions of "treason."

Sources close to Netanyahu countered that Gil was aware of the impending attack and chose not to wake the Prime Minister at the time. During the interview, Gil asserted that documents published by Netanyahu and submitted to the State Comptroller, pertaining to meetings before the October 7th attack, did not reflect the complete, true picture. He also stated that Netanyahu received reports from security agencies during the period of protests against judicial changes, which indicated that Israel's enemies viewed it differently and that Israeli deterrence was eroding.

Gil further claimed that the scheduled times of calls with the Prime Minister on the morning of October 7th were altered in the "protocol" records. He alleged that these documents were compiled in the first two weeks of the war, and that he obtained information about suspicious actions concerning call logs, in violation of instructions.