Former military secretary accuses Netanyahu of trying to alter records of Oct. 7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former military secretary has accused the Israeli leader of altering official transcripts of phone calls from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.
The accusations by Maj. Gen. Avi Gil came in a wide-ranging interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper.
In excerpts of the interview published Thursday, Gil accused Netanyahu of attempting to change records of their phone calls in the first hour of the attack, possibly in an attempt to shift blame for failures that morning from the prime minister to his advisers.
Gil said he reported the attempt, allegedly made by Netanyahu's chief of staff, to the attorney general. Gil served as military secretary from 2021 to 2024.
In the interview, Gil also confirmed that a senior Egyptian intelligence official had visited Israel shortly before the Oct. 7 attack. Asked whether there had been a warning, Gil said he did not know what message was relayed, but added: "Whoever met with someone or received something is still concealing it today.”
Gil’s full interview is expected to be published over the weekend, and an interview with an Israeli TV channel is also planned.
The report comes as Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking re-election on Oct. 27. His Likud party told Israel Hayom that Gil's comments are part of an attempt to oust Netanyahu from power, the paper said.
Source: Associated Press
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