ISRAEL – The Chief of Staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being investigated by police over allegations of altering documents relating to the 7 October Hamas attack to portray his boss in a more favourable light. Tzachi Braverman, one of Netanyahu’s closest advisors, was questioned by the Israeli police Lahav 433 major crimes unit for over five hours on Thursday, according to reports in Israeli media. Detectives have confirmed an investigation is under way. The accusation is focused around two telephone calls that Netanyahu received as the Hamas cross border raid was unfolding on 7 October 2023.

Israel’s Netanyahu shows who calls the shots with Gallant sacking Braverman is suspected of having altered the documented time when Netanyahu first received an update on the attack via a telephone call from his military secretary at the time, Major General Avi Gil. The chief of staff is accused of changing the time from 06:40 to 06:29. He denies having altered the transcript of the call other than to change the time. “I know that the first call was received at 06:29, that’s why I insisted on changing it,” he is reported to have told detectives during the interrogation. While Gil had phoned Netanyahu at 06:29, as the Hamas attack began, Netanyahu did not give any instructions, telling him instead to phone again in 10 minutes, at 06:40, according to a report in the Haaretz newspaper. It was only during the second phone call for which Braverman allegedly altered the time stamp to appear as though it was the first, that Netanyahu ordered Gil to hold a situational assessment on the developing Hamas invasion, Haaretz reported. (BBC)

Photo: Tzachi Braverman, right, reportedly said he altered the documented time of a call to the prime minister. (Getty Images)