The Prime Minister’s Office published Thursday evening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s timeline from the morning of October 7, following what it described as “inaccurate reports published recently."
According to the statement, Netanyahu received his first update about the attack from the Gaza Strip at 6:29 a.m. from his military secretary.
At 6:44 a.m., a second update call was held with the military secretary. Netanyahu asked why nothing had emerged in the intelligence provided to him, requested that officials examine whether a large-scale mobilization of reservists was necessary, and asked whether Hamas’ senior leadership could be eliminated.
At 7:30 a.m., Netanyahu departed for the Kirya after the prime minister’s convoy had been prepared. During the drive, he spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who, according to the statement, informed him that there was still no clear picture of the situation. Netanyahu instructed that a situation assessment be convened in the IDF command bunker under his leadership.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu arrived at the Kirya at approximately 8:00 a.m., while Shin Bet records list the time as 8:22 a.m. Between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., the prime minister requested and received intelligence updates and ongoing reports from the field from the military secretariat staff.
At 8:40 a.m., the defense minister convened IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to formulate a picture of the situation ahead of the meeting with Netanyahu. At 9:47 a.m., according to the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister’s military secretary received for the first time the document summarizing the situation assessment held by the Shin Bet director at 5:15 a.m.
At 9:55 a.m., Netanyahu convened a situation assessment in the IDF command bunker attended by the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, the Mossad director, the Shin Bet director, the head of the National Security Council and the head of the IDF Operations Directorate.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu instructed that the border be completely sealed in order to prevent hostages from being taken into Gaza and additional terrorists from entering Israel. He rejected an IDF recommendation for a partial mobilization of reservists and ordered a full mobilization.
The statement further said that during the same situation assessment, Netanyahu ordered the issuance of a wartime directive and preparations for the northern front. At the conclusion of the meeting, the prime minister held a smaller security consultation with the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff.