Netanyahu’s Former Military Secretary Alleges Altered Records Over October Seventh
(MENAFN) Avi Gil, former military secretary to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused officials in the prime minister’s office of manipulating records concerning the October 7, 2023 events, including allegedly changing the timestamp of a key telephone conversation.
Gil, 54, who held the military secretary position from July 2021 until May 2024, made the allegations in a televised interview, saying he decided to speak publicly after recent developments prompted him to disclose information about what he had witnessed.
“I will give everything I know, leave my impressions and let them understand the reality,” Gil said in the interview. “The past few weeks have set me on a different path and signaled to me that I need to come out and tell the truth.”
Gil said a stenographer working in the Prime Minister’s Office approached him in January 2024 and reported receiving an instruction from Netanyahu’s chief of staff to alter the recorded time of a four-minute phone call.
According to Gil, the call was originally logged as taking place between 6:40 a.m. and 6:44 a.m. local time, but the stenographer was allegedly instructed to change its starting time to 6:29 a.m.
“She told me, ‘I’m not allowed to change it. The computer shows and says 6:40 to 6:44,’” Gil said, accusing the head of the prime minister’s office of attempting to manipulate telephone records.
“Those are facts, and there is no dispute about them,” he added.
Gil said he documented the stenographer’s account in a handwritten note addressed to the attorney general shortly after learning of the alleged instruction.
He also recommended that any future commission of inquiry examine the original recordings rather than depend exclusively on written transcripts when investigating the government’s handling of the events surrounding October 7.
“This is changing a transcript, changing the truth,” he said. “Factually, there was an instruction to change the time of a call.”
Beyond the disputed telephone record, Gil discussed security assessments and military recommendations made before the October 7 attack.
He said Israeli security officials had periodically proposed targeted military operations in Gaza before the attack, but those recommendations were rejected by the political leadership.
“There were recommendations from time to time to carry out targeted operations in Gaza. Those recommendations were not accepted,” he said.
Gil also confirmed that former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar had warned Netanyahu in July 2023 about the possibility of war.
“I am giving you a warning of war today. I cannot give you an exact day and hour, but this is the warning,” Bar told Netanyahu, according to the previously reported account cited in the interview.
However, Gil emphasized that the warning did not specifically identify an imminent attack originating from Gaza.
“Was there a specific, focused warning from Gaza? Absolutely not,” he said.
Gil further disputed suggestions that intelligence information available during the night before October 7 should automatically have triggered an immediate alert to Netanyahu.
He said the information repeatedly characterized the situation as “routine” and did not convey an immediate sense of urgency.
He also said he could not verify reports claiming that Netanyahu had received advance warnings from Egypt or the United Arab Emirates. Gil explained that he was not present in the office on dates associated with the alleged Emirati contact.
Netanyahu has rejected the allegations made by his former military secretary and has instead blamed Gil for failures surrounding the events of October 7.
The dispute has emerged as political campaigning intensifies ahead of Israel’s general election scheduled for October 27, bringing renewed attention to questions about the government’s preparedness, the handling of intelligence warnings and the accountability of senior officials.
The allegations also add to ongoing scrutiny of Israel’s political and security leadership over the circumstances preceding the October 7 attack and the decisions made in its aftermath.
Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures. Around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed, according to the same figures.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Gil, 54, who held the military secretary position from July 2021 until May 2024, made the allegations in a televised interview, saying he decided to speak publicly after recent developments prompted him to disclose information about what he had witnessed.
“I will give everything I know, leave my impressions and let them understand the reality,” Gil said in the interview. “The past few weeks have set me on a different path and signaled to me that I need to come out and tell the truth.”
Gil said a stenographer working in the Prime Minister’s Office approached him in January 2024 and reported receiving an instruction from Netanyahu’s chief of staff to alter the recorded time of a four-minute phone call.
According to Gil, the call was originally logged as taking place between 6:40 a.m. and 6:44 a.m. local time, but the stenographer was allegedly instructed to change its starting time to 6:29 a.m.
“She told me, ‘I’m not allowed to change it. The computer shows and says 6:40 to 6:44,’” Gil said, accusing the head of the prime minister’s office of attempting to manipulate telephone records.
“Those are facts, and there is no dispute about them,” he added.
Gil said he documented the stenographer’s account in a handwritten note addressed to the attorney general shortly after learning of the alleged instruction.
He also recommended that any future commission of inquiry examine the original recordings rather than depend exclusively on written transcripts when investigating the government’s handling of the events surrounding October 7.
“This is changing a transcript, changing the truth,” he said. “Factually, there was an instruction to change the time of a call.”
Beyond the disputed telephone record, Gil discussed security assessments and military recommendations made before the October 7 attack.
He said Israeli security officials had periodically proposed targeted military operations in Gaza before the attack, but those recommendations were rejected by the political leadership.
“There were recommendations from time to time to carry out targeted operations in Gaza. Those recommendations were not accepted,” he said.
Gil also confirmed that former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar had warned Netanyahu in July 2023 about the possibility of war.
“I am giving you a warning of war today. I cannot give you an exact day and hour, but this is the warning,” Bar told Netanyahu, according to the previously reported account cited in the interview.
However, Gil emphasized that the warning did not specifically identify an imminent attack originating from Gaza.
“Was there a specific, focused warning from Gaza? Absolutely not,” he said.
Gil further disputed suggestions that intelligence information available during the night before October 7 should automatically have triggered an immediate alert to Netanyahu.
He said the information repeatedly characterized the situation as “routine” and did not convey an immediate sense of urgency.
He also said he could not verify reports claiming that Netanyahu had received advance warnings from Egypt or the United Arab Emirates. Gil explained that he was not present in the office on dates associated with the alleged Emirati contact.
Netanyahu has rejected the allegations made by his former military secretary and has instead blamed Gil for failures surrounding the events of October 7.
The dispute has emerged as political campaigning intensifies ahead of Israel’s general election scheduled for October 27, bringing renewed attention to questions about the government’s preparedness, the handling of intelligence warnings and the accountability of senior officials.
The allegations also add to ongoing scrutiny of Israel’s political and security leadership over the circumstances preceding the October 7 attack and the decisions made in its aftermath.
Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures. Around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed, according to the same figures.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
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