The Prime Minister’s Office released PM Netanyahu’s full schedule from October 7, 2023, offering the most detailed public accounting yet of his movements during the critical early hours of the war, and reigniting political criticism over how long it took him to convene with military leadership.

According to the released timeline, Netanyahu was first woken at 6:29 a.m. by his Military Secretary with news of an attack from Gaza. A second call came 15 minutes later, at 6:44 a.m., during which Netanyahu reportedly pressed for answers on why intelligence had failed to flag the massive assault, asked whether a broad reserve call-up would be necessary, and floated the possibility of targeting Hamas’s senior leadership immediately.

It wasn’t until 7:30 a.m. — over an hour after first being alerted — that PM Netanyahu left for the Kirya, the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, once his security convoy was ready. En route, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed him by phone, telling him the IDF still lacked a clear picture of what was unfolding. Netanyahu responded by ordering a situational assessment in the underground command bunker, to be run under his own leadership.

The Prime Minister arrived at the Kirya around 8:00 a.m. Forty minutes later, Gallant huddled with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to piece together a clearer intelligence picture ahead of briefing Netanyahu directly.

Between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., Netanyahu received a stream of intelligence updates and field reports from his Military Secretariat. But it wasn’t until 9:55 a.m. — nearly three and a half hours after he was first alerted — that he convened his first full situational assessment in the bunker, joined by Gallant, Halevi, Bar, the deputy IDF chief, the head of the National Security Council, and the head of Military Intelligence.

At that meeting, Netanyahu ordered a full sealing of the border to block hostages from being taken into Gaza and prevent further infiltration, overruled the IDF’s recommendation for a partial reserve mobilization in favor of a full call-up, and directed the formal declaration of war along with preparations for a possible northern front.

The session closed with a smaller security huddle between Netanyahu, Gallant, and Halevi.