An investigative report by Channel 12’s “Uvda” program has unveiled dramatic new details surrounding the lead-up to the October 7 Hamas-led attacks, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza and regional unrest. Among the revelations: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned by Israel’s top security officials of heightened vulnerability to attack while recovering in the hospital in July 2023 after receiving a pacemaker.

According to the report, the heads of the Shin Bet and the IDF contacted Netanyahu on July 23, 2023, while he was at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan following a potentially life-threatening cardiac event. Shin Bet head Ronen Bar reportedly conveyed a “strategic warning of war,” cautioning that Israel’s adversaries perceived internal divisions over the government’s judicial overhaul as a sign of weakness. Bar urged Netanyahu to halt the legislation, which had provoked widespread protests and unrest, including among IDF reservists. Similarly, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly warned that the military’s readiness was deteriorating and adversaries might exploit the situation.

Netanyahu’s office has denied the claims, asserting that the prime minister did not receive any warnings prior to the October 7 massacre and that, had he been informed, the outcome would have been markedly different.

The “Uvda” program also disclosed allegations of transcript tampering involving Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman. According to testimony from Maj. Gen. Avi Gil, Netanyahu’s former military secretary, Braverman allegedly pressured a stenographer to alter the timestamp of Netanyahu’s first call with military officials on October 7, shifting it from 6:29 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. The stenographer refused, prompting Gil to report the incident to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. “This is forgery for all intents and purposes. It’s criminal,” Gil reportedly wrote in his letter.

Netanyahu’s office has denied the allegations, stating that the matter will be clarified during the ongoing investigation.

“Uvda” aired transcripts of Netanyahu’s early conversations with Gil on the morning of October 7 as Hamas launched its surprise attack. During their first call, Gil informed Netanyahu of rocket fire from Gaza but noted that details were still emerging. By their second conversation at 6:40 a.m., Gil had declared, “We’re at war,” as elite IDF units mobilized to the Gaza border.

Netanyahu reportedly expressed frustration, claiming he had not been forewarned about the possibility of such an attack. “We had no indications. I don’t see anything in the intelligence,” he was quoted as saying. Both he and Gil acknowledged the need to investigate the intelligence failure.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly told fellow ministers during a meeting on October 7 that public outcry over the attacks would likely demand government resignations. “We have a few days of legitimacy until the magnitude [of the devastation] becomes clear,” he was quoted as saying, adding, “They’re right.”

Smotrich’s office later distanced him from the remarks, asserting that security officials, not the government, bore responsibility for the October 7 failures. Separately, Smotrich admitted he was unaware of the elite Hamas “Nukhba” unit, which spearheaded the attacks, claiming significant “information gaps” between military and political leadership.

Netanyahu’s office condemned the “Uvda” report as “slander and lies” intended to undermine the government, saying that the prime minister remains focused on achieving “a historic victory” for Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)