Former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi privately told senior military officials during the war's opening hours that Israel might be unable to rescue any hostages from Hamas's October 7 attack, security sources revealed to Israel Hayom. The disclosure provides crucial context to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent remarks at a Wednesday press conference, where he alluded to a "very senior person" who doubted rescue possibilities without naming Halevi directly.
The assessment came during emergency IDF command meetings within the first 24 to 48 hours of combat, as chaos engulfed the battlefield and Israeli intelligence remained uncertain about the exact number of captives taken during the unprecedented Hamas assault. Both Halevi and other senior defense officials feared that Gaza's civilian population would lynch the hostages amid the violent scenes unfolding as Israelis were forcibly abducted from their homes and communities.
Netanyahu's comments during the press conference reflected this early pessimism, stating, "At the beginning of the war, there was someone who said we might not succeed in bringing back even one hostage. That's what he said, a very senior person. I thought differently and acted differently, and this approach proved itself." Security sources have now confirmed that Netanyahu was referring to Halevi's initial battlefield assessment.
The grim assessment emerged when both Israeli and Hamas leadership lacked precise intelligence about hostage numbers, while Gaza's public discourse remained highly inflamed and the territory burned. Military planners worried that without Hamas maintaining strict control, angry Gazan crowds might execute summary justice against the Israeli captives.
Several days into the conflict, the security assessment evolved significantly. Hamas demonstrated organizational control and reportedly issued territory-wide instructions to preserve the hostages and treat them as valuable assets rather than targets for revenge. Intelligence gathering during this period confirmed Hamas' capacity to control the captives' fate and leverage them as negotiating tools.
Sources familiar with Halevi's thinking emphasize that within days, particularly after Israel launched its ground offensive that Netanyahu had initially hesitated to approve, military leaders recognized that hostage rescues were achievable. The operational directive shifted accordingly. This change in assessment led Halevi to authorize the successful rescue of field observer soldier Ori Megidish on October 30, just three days after ground forces entered Gaza.
Israel Hayom revealed a year ago that in the first week of the war, Halevi rejected a hostage rescue operation planned for captives held at Shifa Hospital. The operation was prepared by Shayetet 13 and the 98th Division under Brigadier General Dan Goldfus, but Halevi believed its chances of success were too low.
