Israel’s military chief resigns over October 7, 2023 failure

Israel’s military chief has resigned, saying he acknowledged responsibility for his failure on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian armed group Hamas carried out a deadly attack on the country that sparked the Gaza war.

In a letter to the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi admitted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had “failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel.”

“My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will be for the rest of my life,” he added.

The general said he would leave his post on March 6 at a time of “significant achievements” for the IDF, although he acknowledged that “not all” of Israel’s war goals had been achieved.

“The military will continue to fight to further dismantle Hamas and its governing capabilities, ensure the return of hostages” and allow Israelis displaced by attacks by armed groups to return to their homes, he added.

Shortly after, the head of the IDF Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, also announced that he would resign, saying that he had failed in his “duty to protect the Western Negev and its beloved and heroic residents.”

Their resignations come three days after the start of a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza agreed with Hamas, which is banned as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and others.

Israeli military and intelligence officials overlooked or ignored many warnings before hundreds of Hamas gunmen breached Gaza’s perimeter fence in multiple locations 15 months ago and attacked nearby Israeli communities, IDF bases and a music festival. . Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

The IDF responded by launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza, during which more than 47,100 Palestinians were killed, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry.

General Halevi said in a televised speech on Tuesday that Hamas’s military wing had been “severely damaged,” and that most of the group’s military leaders and commanders had been killed along with nearly 20,000 “operatives.”

He also promised that the IDF’s investigation into the events of October 7, which he plans to complete before leaving office, would be “high-quality, thorough and fully transparent.”

However, he warned that the military investigation “focuses solely on the IDF and does not address the broader factors that could prevent similar events in the future.”

“A commission of inquiry or any other external body can investigate and examine and will receive full transparency from the IDF,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked General Halevi “for his many years of service and for commanding the IDF” during the war, saying it had “led to important achievements for Israel.”

So far, Netanyahu has only said that he deeply regrets what happened on October 7 and that he will have to answer “some difficult questions” about his role, without acknowledging any responsibility. He has also said that an independent commission of inquiry should wait until the end of the Gaza war.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Halevi’s decision and called on Netanyahu to do the same.

“Now is the time for them to take responsibility and resign: the prime minister and his entire catastrophic government,” he said.

General Halevi is currently overseeing the IDF’s compliance with a three-phase ceasefire agreement in Gaza with Hamas that should allow the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

In total, 33 hostages should be released during the first phase, which will last six weeks. Hamas handed over three women on Sunday, when the ceasefire went into effect, and has said it will release another four women on Saturday.

Israeli forces should also withdraw from the densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians should be allowed to begin returning to their homes, and hundreds of aid trucks should be allowed into the territory each day.

Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and “the restoration of sustainable calm” – are due to begin in just over two weeks.

The third and final stage should involve the reconstruction of Gaza, which could take years, and the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages.

However, there is great anxiety among Palestinians in Gaza and the families of the hostages about whether the agreement will hold.

New U.S. President Donald Trump, who is credited with brokering the ceasefire, said Monday that I was not sure if all three phases were implemented.

Netanyahu has said that Israel already has the backing of the United States to return to fighting if it “concludes that the second phase negotiations are ineffective.”