Unreleased Recordings Expose Chaos in Israeli Police During Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

Newly revealed recordings from the Israeli Police command center in Jerusalem offer a stark look at the chaotic early hours of the Hamas attack on October 7. The audio highlights the immense difficulties faced by police leadership as they attempted to coordinate a response to dozens of simultaneous attack sites across southern Israel.

During the initial onslaught, police officers and Yamam special forces found themselves as the primary, and sometimes only, line of defense against Hamas terrorists in several locations, including Sderot, Ofakim, Re'im, and Yad Mordechai. At the command center, then-Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and his officers struggled to manage the crisis with insufficient intervention units and limited ammunition.

The recordings capture growing concern around 10 a.m. following numerous reports of civilians under fire near Beer Sheva's central bus station. With all special units already deployed to areas near Gaza, Shabtai issued an unusual directive for any terrorist entrenchment in the Beer Sheva region: "Seal it off and suffocate them with gas, because it will take time before we have additional intervention forces."

Further audio reveals urgent calls from senior police officials to the IDF for air support. Amidst the ongoing massacres at the Re'im base and the Nova music festival site, officers were heard demanding combat helicopters. "I want to know how long it will take for combat helicopters to be sent to me," one officer stated, adding, "For some reason, we are unable to get authorization from the army." These exchanges underscore the uncertainty within police command regarding the air force's rapid response capability while ground forces battled the Hamas offensive with limited resources.