Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to IDF chief Halevi three hours after Oct. 7 attack began
Reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak with IDF Chief Herzi Halevi until three hours after the October 7 Hamas attacks began. The timeline of communication and the decision-making process during the initial hours of the crisis remain a subject of intense political scrutiny.
Why it matters
The timing of leadership response during a national security crisis is critical for accountability and understanding the failures that led to the ongoing conflict.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak to then-IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi on October 7 until three hours after the Hamas attacks began, KAN News reported on Thursday, following an earlier comprehensive exclusive story by The Jerusalem Post.On Thursday, when Netanyahu released a copy of his schedule, he omitted the fact that Maj.-Gen Avi Gil, Netanyahu's personal military secretary, chose not to wake him up because he believed that no large-scale attack was imminent. According to the KAN report, Netanyahu only spoke to Halevi at 9:45 a.m. that day during the situational assessment, despite receiving two separate phone calls about the ongoing terrorist attack at 6:29 a.m.
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