Hostages and Bereaved Families Demand Netanyahu Release Protocols

Dozens of survivors of the October 7th Hamas attack and bereaved families have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding the immediate release of full protocols, recordings, and diaries documenting security discussions prior to the attack and on the day of the massacre. The signatories stated they "will not agree that the truth about the severe failure will remain locked in a safe, buried, hidden, distorted, and replaced by a version intended to serve those whose responsibility is under examination." They are demanding Netanyahu order the opening of safes in the Prime Minister's Office and transfer the materials for military censorship review and public disclosure, in accordance with the law.

Among the signatories are hostage survivors, including Yocheved Lifshitz and Diza Hyman, and relatives of victims, such as Dcala Shamriz, whose son Alon was killed by IDF fire in Gaza, and Carmit Palti-Katzir, whose father was murdered and mother abducted. Other signatories include Einav Tsengauker, Hadas Calderon, Dani Algratt, Maayan Sherman, Rani and Ayala Metzger, and Vicki and Yehuda Cohen.

The appeal follows recent journalistic exposés. Reports revealed a selective presentation of events in a 55-page version Netanyahu provided to the State Comptroller. Additionally, former Military Secretary Avi Gill reported an attempt by Netanyahu's Chief of Staff, Tzachi Braverman, to alter the date of a discussion protocol from the day of the attack, as reported by Nadav Eyal.

The letter asserts that recent investigations raise "serious suspicions of forgery of official documents and obstruction of evidence." It also cites reports of approximately 30 classified protocols being removed from the Prime Minister's Office and the original documentation of security discussions being concentrated in safes. The signatories argue these original materials are essential for an unbiased understanding of real-time events and for determining the reliability of published protocols.

MK Gadi Eisenkot expressed support for the families' demand, accusing Netanyahu and his associates of misleading state institutions and the public, and of "rewriting history through distortion of public documents." He called the actions "criminal behavior raising suspicion of illegality" and stated Netanyahu's refusal to release the protocols stems from his knowledge of the truth. Eisenkot vowed to establish a state inquiry commission immediately after the upcoming elections to transparently release protocols and decision-making processes to prevent future disasters.

According to reports by Ronen Bergman and Yuval Robovitch, the Prime Minister's Office took steps early in the war to ensure security and war cabinet discussions were documented solely by office staff and stored in safes. This is linked to alleged protocol forgery and the recruitment of former female soldiers and officers to assist in preparing Netanyahu's "engineered version" of events, which has been criticized in recent investigative reports as containing cover-ups, manipulations, and outright lies.