Opposition calls on A-G to take legal action against PM, Likud attacks Gil over Oct 7 interview

In a public statement, the party said that on the morning of the October 7 massacre "Avi Gil knew about the approaching attack and chose not to wake the prime minister in time."

According to Gil's interview, an intelligence assistant received an alert about a message detailing suspicious actions near the Gaza border but decided not to wake the military secretary or the prime minister, believing the situation was not urgent enough.

Gil said he was woken at 6:12 a.m. by a call from the office of former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar, and was briefed on information about the SIM cards and reports of Hamas operatives moving underground only upon calling Bar on a secure line at 6:17 a.m.

Gil said he then called Netanyahu twice, once at 6:29 a.m., waking him up and telling him "Hamas has launched extensive fire, a large-scale surprise attack. I am gathering information and will call you as soon as possible," and a second time at 6:40 a.m., telling him "We are at war."

Netanyahu responded to the interview in a post on his X/Twitter account in which he wrote "The left's campaign of lies will never defeat the truth," on Thursday evening.

The party cited reporting and statements that it said supported the allegations, “as revealed by journalist Ronen Bergman’s investigation in Yedioth Ahronoth and statements by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Avi Gil, who served as Netanyahu’s military secretary, in Israel Hayom and on Channel 12 News.”

The statement also accused Netanyahu of presenting a partial and distorted account of security documents from before the massacre. It alleged that he omitted significant warnings and intelligence assessments about Hamas’s growing strength, its closer ties to the Iranian axis, and the danger of escalation with Israel.

In his interview, Gil stated that there are discrepancies between what the public has been told and what actually happened, calling for the formation of a state commission of inquiry.

“The document submitted to the state comptroller does not reflect what really happened. It is part of the truth, but not the whole truth,” Gil had said.

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman criticized Netanyahu over the allegations: “I call on the attorney-general to order an immediate investigation into the prime minister and his aides on charges of treason and conspiracy. I call on the IDF chief of staff to prevent any attempt to use the IDF for political purposes, solely to change the public agenda just before the elections.”

The Democrats chairman Yair Golan also sharply criticized the prime minister: “This is an earthquake. The testimony of Maj.-Gen. (res.) Avi Gil is among the most serious ever heard in Israel. Netanyahu’s culpability and responsibility for the massacre of 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 people have never been clearer. Netanyahu committed a grave crime against the residents of the Gaza border communities, survivors of captivity, and the entire people of Israel.

“I call on the attorney-general to order a comprehensive criminal investigation into these suspicions, including an examination of the involvement and responsibility of everyone in the Prime Minister’s Office, up to the most senior level. The preservation of all original recordings, minutes, and documents must be ensured immediately. Netanyahu must account for the decisions made before the massacre and any possible attempt to obstruct the examination of responsibility afterward," Golan said.

The leader of the October 7 council also responded to Gil's interview, saying “Tonight, it is no longer possible to claim they did not know. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Avi Gil, who sat alongside Netanyahu in the most confidential meetings and served as his military secretary, is speaking out openly and confirming in his own voice what we have revealed in recent days. And tonight, we say clearly and unequivocally, this is only the tip of the iceberg.”