A new investigation reveals how Israel Air Force (IAF) procedures that existed at the time of Hamas' rocket fire led to significant delays in the take-off of planes and helicopters during the critical hours of October 7, 2023.
In the absence of any prior warning, the IAF found itself completely surprised by the Hamas attack that focused its firing efforts on the border posts and air force bases, which led to significant difficulty in preparing the planes and helicopters for takeoff.
According to IAF instructions, if the rocket fire is aimed at the base itself, the preparation of the planes and helicopters for takeoff will be stopped and the crews will wait in a protected place. But that morning, the barrages did not stop.
For example, at the Palmahim Air Base, a rescue helicopter that was launched at 07:10 took off only 15 minutes later and was ordered to advance to the border area.
At the Nevatim base, Hamas' massive rocket fire caused a delay in the take-off of two fighter jets. One alarm delayed a fighter jet by at least 15 minutes, and another by more than 10 minutes.
Channel 12 News reported that one of the most serious incidents took place at the Tel Nof base. At the beginning of the Hamas offensive, two UAVs were ordered to reach the border area. However, in the face of the barrage of rockets, the crews stayed in the safe rooms for a long time, which led to a delay of about 40 minutes in take-off.
It was also reported that when the commander of the corps realized later that morning about those mishaps, he made it clear that preparations for take-off were not being halted because of gunfire, "We are at war," he said.
The IDF Spokesperson's response: "The Air Force conducted a professional, in-depth and in-depth investigation, and it was carried out by a senior and independent team of experts who examined the force throughout its length and breadth. Any information, assertion or rumor presented in the article is not based on facts from the investigation, and therefore it is not possible to relate to partial pieces of information."
* Bihadre Haredim contributed to this article.
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