Families Demand Release of Protocols on Pre-Oct. 7 Discussions

Survivors of captivity, bereaved families, and families of hostages have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding the immediate release of full protocols, original recordings, and logbooks from discussions and conversations held before and on the morning of October 7th. The families requested that Netanyahu order the opening of safes at the Prime Minister's Office and transfer the materials for military censorship review and public disclosure, in accordance with the law.

The appeal comes amid ongoing investigations into alleged alterations of a protocol for a conversation between Netanyahu and his then-Military Secretary, Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Gill, on the morning of October 7th. Gill recently broke his silence since the war began to address suspicions of protocol changes. The families' letter stated that recent inquiries raise serious suspicions of official document forgery and evidence tampering.

The families also referenced Tzachi Braverman, former Head of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, who is under investigation for allegedly forging an official protocol of a call on the day of the massacre. The investigation focuses on a suspected change in the call's time from 6:40 AM to 6:29 AM. Braverman has denied the allegations, with his lawyer previously claiming he acted within his authority to correct an error. The investigation has concluded, and the case has been forwarded to the State Prosecution for a decision.

Furthermore, the letter highlighted reports of approximately 30 classified protocols being removed from the Prime Minister's Office, the centralization of original documentation of security discussions in the Prime Minister's Office safes, and the existence of original recordings of cabinet discussions, including a call on the "red phone" on the morning of October 7th. The signatories argue that these original materials are essential for an unbiased understanding of what was said and decided in real-time, expressing concern that the materials might disappear or be altered.

"We will not agree that the truth about the grave failure in the history of the State of Israel will remain locked in a safe; will be hidden, falsified, and replaced with a version intended to serve those whose responsibility is under examination through alleged forgery of official documents, selective publication of partial protocols, which allegedly create a false impression of what was said, what was known, and what was decided, and the concealment of original recordings," the families wrote. They concluded by demanding an independent review of the original documentation, including cabinet and security discussions preceding and during the October 7th attack, and their transfer to military censorship and public disclosure.

The letter was signed by dozens of survivors, bereaved families, and families of hostages, including Yocheved Lifshitz, Ditsa Heiman, Einav Tsengauer, Hadas Calderon, Dani Elgert, Michel Illouz, Gil Dickmann, Lishai Lavi Miran, and other families affected by the events of October 7th and the subsequent hostage crisis.