While recovering in the hospital following the placement of a pacemaker in the summer of 2023, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was reportedly warned by security officials that Israel’s adversaries might view the internal turmoil caused by the judicial overhaul debate as an opportunity to strike. This information was disclosed in an investigative television report aired Thursday.
Channel 12’s “Uvda” program revealed that both Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi cautioned Netanyahu in late July, while he was at Sheba Medical Center. Their warnings came just before the Knesset voted on the coalition’s first major judicial reform bill. The report suggested these warnings may be linked to the devastating Hamas-led attacks months later, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza and widespread regional conflict.
The program also presented transcripts of Netanyahu’s early discussions with his military secretary following Hamas’s invasion on October 7, 2023. This attack marked the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Additionally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly told the cabinet that public anger might lead to calls for their resignations. The program also accused a senior Netanyahu aide of attempting to alter official transcripts.
In response, Netanyahu’s office dismissed the claims in “Uvda” as fabrications, accusing the show and its anchor, Ilana Dayan, of spreading falsehoods. “The conscious-engineering enterprise ‘Uvda’ will continue with the propaganda and mask of lies, while Prime Minister Netanyahu will continue leading Israel to a historic victory,” the statement declared, while disputing several of the program’s assertions.
The report alleged that Bar and Halevi contacted Netanyahu on July 23, 2023, while he was recovering at Sheba Medical Center. Bar reportedly issued a “strategic warning of war,” saying, “I can’t say when or how,” but emphasized that Israel’s enemies perceived internal divisions over the judicial overhaul as a sign of weakness. Bar allegedly urged Netanyahu to halt the legislative process. The report did not include Netanyahu’s reaction.
Halevi also reportedly sent a letter to Netanyahu, warning that the IDF’s operational readiness was deteriorating rapidly amid growing political discord and that recovery would be slow. “This is dangerous. What is happening now in Israel raises the chance that we will be attacked,” Halevi wrote, stressing that adversaries would likely exploit the situation.
Netanyahu’s office denied the claims, stating that “the prime minister did not receive any warning and no one bothered to update him, neither before the slaughter nor the night of. If they had updated him, October 7 would have looked totally different.”
The report further claimed that in February 2024, Maj. Gen. Avi Gil, Netanyahu’s then-military secretary, notified the attorney general after being informed that Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, pressured a stenographer to change the timestamp on an October 7 transcript. The alleged alteration involved shifting the time of Netanyahu’s initial call with Gil from 6:29 a.m. to 6:40 a.m., aligning it with a second conversation.
According to the report, Gil wrote to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling Braverman’s actions “forgery for all intents and purposes. It’s criminal.” Netanyahu’s office denied any wrongdoing, stating that the matter “will be clarified thoroughly during the investigation.”
The report also detailed Netanyahu’s exchanges with Gil on the morning of October 7. At 6:29 a.m., Gil called Netanyahu via WhatsApp. Netanyahu asked, “Why are they firing [rockets]?” Gil responded that he was gathering information and would provide updates, leading to a second call at 6:40 a.m. on a secure line. “There’s no doubt we’re in a different [sort of] incident,” Gil said, outlining the military’s immediate actions.
Netanyahu reportedly asked if Hamas leaders could be targeted, to which Gil responded that efforts were underway to assess the situation and prevent infiltrations. “We’re at war,” Gil confirmed, while Netanyahu instructed him to act decisively if there was an opportunity to strike Hamas leaders.
During a subsequent cabinet meeting, Smotrich allegedly told ministers, “We have a few days of legitimacy until the magnitude [of the devastation wrought by Hamas] becomes clear. In another 48 hours they will call for us to resign because of the failure, and they’re right.”
Smotrich’s office denied knowledge of the statement, attributing the failure to security officials. Separately, Smotrich admitted on Thursday that he was unaware of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force before October 7, citing a lack of communication between the political and military leadership. “I did not know that there was such a thing as the Nukhba unit before October 7, and I am one of the people who invests in my position on the security cabinet and regularly read and review materials,” Smotrich said.
He criticized the military leadership for withholding key intelligence, claiming, “There are huge information gaps.” Despite years of reports on Hamas’s Nukhba Force, Smotrich said the information was not shared adequately, contributing to the government’s unpreparedness.
{Matzav.com}