Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu altered his account of warnings received before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, according to an investigation that compared a 55-page document released by Netanyahu in February against original records, meeting summaries and testimonies.
The investigation identified omissions and changes in wording and context throughout the document. These alterations included warnings issued in the months before the attack and proposals for military action against Hamas.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth's findings, Netanyahu's released document portrayed him as advocating for the assassination of Hamas leaders while senior security officials resisted such action and preferred maintaining calm regarding Gaza.
Original records told a different story, the newspaper reported. They indicated that Netanyahu repeatedly sought calm and rejected approval of attacks despite receiving warnings from security officials.
The investigation did not specify which security officials issued the warnings or provide details about the specific omissions and wording changes beyond the general characterization of Netanyahu's position toward Gaza operations and Hamas targeting.