Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant helped save a life this week by agreeing to take a call from a man who was threatening to commit suicide by jumping off his sixth-floor balcony, it was disclosed on Wednesday.
The incident began Monday in the northern city of Hadera, where an unidentified man in his 20s threatened to jump from his residential building.
Video showed the man holding on to the outside of his balcony, with Israeli security forces maintaining a perimeter around the scene.
The man first demanded to speak with an Israel Defense Forces official, and Israel Police Superintendent Itzik Gabai pretended to be one, going so far as to don a military uniform.
However, the issue remained unresolved and the man then demanded to speak with Gallant.
The defense minister was holding security consultations at the time, but accepted the call.
No details were provided by police regarding the content of the conversation.
After speaking with the defense minister, the man climbed back over the railing, agreeing to end the hours-long standoff.
In a video of the end of the ordeal, a security officer on a crane adjacent to the building can be heard thanking Gallant on the phone, before climbing onto the balcony and embracing the man.
