Netanyahu's Ex-Aide Accused of Altering Oct. 7 Call Log

New evidence in an investigation into the alteration of records from the Israeli Prime Minister's office suggests that changing the time of a call involving Benjamin Netanyahu on October 7, 2023, was intended to reshape the official narrative of his actions during the initial hours of the Hamas attack. Law enforcement officials believe the alteration aimed to portray Netanyahu as fully aware and issuing operational orders from the outset, rather than surprised.

According to Israeli broadcaster Kan 11, an initial WhatsApp call between Netanyahu and his then-military secretary, Avi Gill, at 6:29 AM went unrecorded. During this call, Netanyahu reportedly sounded surprised, asking, "Why are they shooting?" Approximately 11 minutes later, a second, encrypted phone call occurred where Netanyahu had received clearer information and issued operational directives.

Investigation materials indicate that Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu's former chief of staff, reviewed the documented second call, logged at 6:40 AM, in January 2024. He repeatedly commented on its clarity before manually changing its timestamp to 6:29 AM. Law enforcement views this change as an attempt to present a single, coherent call from the beginning, omitting the earlier one that revealed his surprise.

Despite being informed by a writer in the office that he lacked authorization to alter records and that the original time was digitally preserved, Braverman insisted on the manual change. Channel 12 reported that police seized both the original digital file with the accurate timestamp and the manually altered document, along with evidence of Braverman's requests to collect the records. A senior police official stated the file was transferred with sufficient evidence to suspect forgery.

Braverman maintains his actions were a "good faith error," claiming he believed the 6:40 AM recording pertained to the 6:29 AM call and he was merely correcting a mistake. The investigation has concluded, and the materials have been forwarded to Government's legal advisor Gali Baharav-Miara for a decision. Sources suggest a low likelihood of an indictment due to the difficulty in proving intent over error or confusion.

These developments contradict a Likud party statement claiming police recommended closing the case. Police sources, however, confirm evidence exists and a final decision is pending. Avi Gill had previously noted "disproportionate collection" of records from Netanyahu's office after the war began and had approached the legal advisor for clarification. He later informed her of the time change request, calling it a "change of truth" and urging future inquiries to examine original recordings.

With elections approaching, Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yachad party, urged the legal advisor to resolve the indictment issue before the vote, requesting a response by October 16. He also called for a continued investigation if there is suspicion that Netanyahu himself was aware of or directed the alteration.