AG leaves cabinet meeting after incorrect claims she blocked release of graphic Oct. 7 footage

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara and Justice Minister Yariv Levin at a farewell ceremony for retiring acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/POOL)
Attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara and Justice Minister Yariv Levin at a farewell ceremony for retiring acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, October 1, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/POOL)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara walked out of a cabinet meeting following an argument with ministers over the release of graphic footage of the October 7 Hamas massacres, according to multiple Hebrew media reports.

According to the reports, after a collection of footage was screened for the cabinet, ministers including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned why it had not been shown publicly.

During the discussion, some reports said, one minister claimed that its dissemination had been stopped on legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office. An Army Radio report said, by contrast, that it was the representative of the IDF Spokesman who indicated that there were unspecified legal issues preventing the wider dissemination of the footage.

Army Radio reported that Netanyahu banged on the table and demanded to know why the footage had not been made more widely available, and insisted that he would not accept any legal impediment to the dissemination of the footage.

The reports say Baharav-Miara flatly rejected any assertion that she was blocking the dissemination of the material, saying her office had had no involvement in the matter. Voices were raised and the attorney general left the room.

Baharav-Miara’s office later states that the claim made against her was “false” and she has not prevented the footage’s publication.

Army Radio says the IDF Spokesman has clarified that its representative’s comments were “taken out of context.”

Following the October 7 terror assault, in which thousands of invading terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 people and seized 251 hostages, Israel organized showings of a compilation of raw footage for international media outlets. That harrowing 44-minute montage, compiled by the IDF, was also aired for Israeli and US officials, as well as at the United Nations, and for numerous other international figures.

The footage shown to the cabinet today was not identical to that in the film screened around the world. Army Radio said the ministers watched about 20 minutes of footage, some of which had been collected since the original compilation was made.

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