Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff To Be Questioned Over Alleged Blackmail of IDF Officer

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, is set to be questioned by police this week over allegations that he attempted to blackmail an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence officer into altering official wartime records. The interrogation, approved by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman, is expected to occur before the weekend.

Braverman is accused of pressuring Col. “Shin,” the intelligence officer in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), to modify minutes of government meetings related to the October 7 Hamas attack. The alleged changes involve records of what Netanyahu knew about potential threats from Hamas prior to the assault, including the activation of numerous Israeli SIM cards by operatives in Gaza.

According to the IDF’s internal investigation, which is nearing completion, Col. Shin received multiple intelligence updates from 2 a.m. on October 7. These updates, transmitted via encrypted communications from the Military Intelligence Directorate’s operations center, indicated that Hamas was preparing to infiltrate Israeli territory. Signs included senior Hamas commanders moving to protected areas—a possible precursor to imminent action.

Braverman has vehemently denied the accusations, calling them “severe slander” and “wild incitement.” In a statement, he said: “The serious claim that I hold recordings of any officer or that I tried to blackmail someone—is false, as is the defamatory report by Michael Shemesh. It is a lie from beginning to end aimed at harming me and the Prime Minister’s Office during a war.” Shemesh is a political correspondent for Israeli public broadcaster Kan, which first reported Braverman’s alleged involvement.

The PMO also denied any wrongdoing, labeling the reports as “another complete fabrication that is part of an unprecedented media witch hunt against the Prime Minister’s Office during wartime, designed to whitewash the grave failures of others on the night of October 7.”

The controversy highlights conflicting accounts of the events leading up to the Hamas attack. While Netanyahu’s office maintains that the prime minister was first informed of the assault at 6:29 a.m. on October 7, IDF sources suggest that critical intelligence was shared with the PMO hours earlier. Col. Shin reportedly attempted to contact senior PMO officials upon receiving the intelligence but was unable to reach them. Questions remain about whether efforts were made to alert Netanyahu or his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Avi Gil, given mixed assessments of the threat level at the time.

Complicating matters are allegations that Braverman obtained sensitive video recordings of Col. Shin from security cameras within the PMO. It is claimed that he used this material to pressure the officer into altering official records of meetings held after the attack, pertaining to discussions about Netanyahu’s prior knowledge and whether proper procedures were followed.

In response, the PMO stated that no such coercion occurred and emphasized that all actions were appropriate and lawful.

The investigation into Braverman is one of several scandals affecting the PMO. In a separate case, four IDF servicemembers and a spokesperson for Netanyahu have been detained over the alleged theft and leaking of top-secret army intelligence documents. At least one of these documents was reportedly shared with foreign media, potentially undermining efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Eli Feldstein, a key suspect in the intelligence leak case, remains in custody, his detention extended multiple times, totaling 18 days without access to a lawyer for several of those days. A lawyer representing one of the accused soldiers claimed that Feldstein told the soldier he had passed the material to Netanyahu, who then requested additional information.

Netanyahu’s office has criticized the handling of these investigations, alleging that individuals are being unfairly detained to extract false claims against the prime minister. “We are greatly pained that they are destroying the lives of young men with baseless claims in order to harm right-wing governance,” the PMO said in a statement.