An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson clarified on Tuesday evening that the reports alleging IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi prevented a mission to rescue hostages at Shifa Hospital at the war’s outset are false and baseless.
“The allegations of the Chief of Staff concealing a hostage rescue operation from the political leadership are entirely untrue and without merit,” stated the spokesperson.
Furthermore, the statement emphasized that whenever there were opportunities with adequate intelligence for planning hostage rescues, Chief of Staff Halevi meticulously briefed the operation in detail over hundreds of hours, and once ready for execution, it was approved and presented to the political leadership.
The IDF spokesperson’s uncommon statement follows the publication of reports on Tuesday citing a new book titled “The Boss” by Ido Norden, a former officer with access to real-time information, who served in “The Pit” at the Kirya.