A fierce confrontation erupted following an interview given by Avi Gil, former military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to Channel 12 News, in which he made serious allegations concerning Netanyahu's conduct during the three years of war.
Likud strongly rejected Gil's claims, particularly the allegation concerning the purported falsification of an official transcript by the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman.
In an especially sharp response issued by the party, Gil's remarks were described as a "false blood libel." Likud claimed that the matter had already been investigated by police two years ago and that the investigation had concluded with a recommendation to close the case.
"Avi Gil's false blood libel concerning the alleged 'falsification of a transcript' by chief of staff Tzachi Braverman was already thoroughly investigated by the police two years ago and ended with a police recommendation to close the case because there was nothing to it," Likud stated.
Gil, who served as Netanyahu's military secretary on the morning of the October 7 attack, claimed in his Channel 12 interview that attempts had been made to alter records relating to the events of that morning.
According to Gil, one of the issues concerned the recorded time of the telephone conversation in which he informed the Prime Minister that war had broken out. Gil argued that the alteration constituted a distortion of the truth and said that he had reported the matter to the Attorney General at the time.
During the interview, Gil raised additional allegations concerning warnings conveyed to the Prime Minister before the Hamas attack, recommendations for preventive operations in the Gaza Strip that were not accepted, and information provided to the public about the conduct of the political leadership.
Gil, who documented his work in 16 notebooks, made clear that he intends to submit the materials in his possession to a state commission of inquiry if one is established.
However, Likud went beyond denying the allegations, linking the publication of the interview to the political struggle ahead of the elections.
In its statement, the party claimed that reviving the affair was intended to serve Netanyahu's political opponents.
"The left's attempts to revive a case that has already died only demonstrate the extent of Eisenkot's panic, as he understands that he cannot form a government without the Arab parties, Yair Golan, Lieberman, and Bennett," Likud stated.
However, contrary to Likud's claim that the affair had ended with the case being closed, a report published today stated that the investigation file had been transferred to the State Attorney's Office for a decision, but that no final determination had yet been made on whether to file an indictment.