Israel’s top general resigns over failure of ‘horrific’ October 7 attack Israel-Palestine conflict news

Israel’s top general has resigned, citing “appalling” security and intelligence “failures” related to the deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli official to resign over the security failure after thousands of Hamas-led fighters launched an attack from Gaza and attacked military bases, kibbutzim and a music festival in southern Israel.

According to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli data, at least 1,139 people were killed in the attack, mostly civilians, and another 250 were taken prisoner. Palestinian groups in Gaza are still holding more than 90 hostages, about a third of whom Israel believes dead.

Halevi oversaw Israel’s response to the attack, a devastating assault on the besieged Palestinian territory that has killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.

The brutal military campaign has destroyed much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, while Israel’s severe restrictions on humanitarian supplies to the region have led to warnings of a humanitarian disaster.

In his resignation letter, Halevi said that the forces under his command “failed in their mission to defend the State of Israel” when Hamas attacked, but that it had made “significant achievements” in the ensuing war.

“My responsibility for the terrible failure follows me every day, hour by hour, and will do so for the rest of my life,” Halevi wrote in her resignation letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz.

He said he was leaving at a time of “significant successes” for the military, although he also said that “all” of Israel’s war goals had not been met.

“All the objectives of the war have not been achieved. The military will continue fighting to further destroy Hamas and its regime capabilities, ensure the return of hostages, and enable Israelis displaced by terrorist attacks to return home, he said.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Halevi for stepping down and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the same.

“Now, it’s time for them to take responsibility and resign – the prime minister and his entire disastrous government,” Lapid said.

Shortly after Halevi announced his resignation, Major General Yaron Finkelman, head of Israel’s Southern Command, which oversees operations in Gaza, also tendered his resignation.

While the resignations of the generals could increase demands for a public investigation into the October 7 failures, Netanyahu – whose leadership could be implicated – has said he will wait until the war is over.

far right criticism

Katz thanked Halevi for his contributions to the Army and expressed gratitude that he would continue to fulfill his duties until a successor was named while an orderly search was conducted for his replacement. Netanyahu also accepted Halevi’s resignation.

Halevi was often criticized by far-right figures, including Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister in Netanyahu’s government.

Halevi’s resignation comes three days after a long-awaited ceasefire agreement took effect, ending the 15-month war in Gaza and exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The first phase of the multi-level agreement is expected to last six weeks and will see 33 hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Three hostages and 90 prisoners were released on Sunday.

Smotrich on Tuesday praised Halevi for the military’s success in shattering Hamas’ military capabilities during the war, but also placed blame for the October 7 attack on his shoulders.

“My criticism of Hamas’ responsibility for its failure in the campaign to dismantle civilian and government capacities, as well as the failure of October 7, is tempered by the great gratitude we have for all of their work and contributions over the years and for their achievements.” Doesn’t reduce.” said Smotrich, who opposed the ceasefire and hostage release agreements.

“The coming period will be marked by the replacement of the senior military command as part of preparations for a renewal of the war, this time until complete victory in the West Bank.”