Key points
- Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi oversaw Israel’s invasion of Gaza
- He said the military failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel
- Mentioning objectives of the war have not been achieved
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid asked for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
ISLAMABAD: Israel’s top general resigned, stating “terrible” security and intelligence “failures” related to the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
According to Al Jazeera, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli officer to resign over the security failure when Hamas-led fighters came from Gaza and attacked military bases, kibbutzim, and a concert in southern Israel.
That attack killed approximately 1,139 people according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics, and another 250 were taken as captives.
More than 90 hostages are still being held by Palestinian groups in Gaza, around a third of whom Israel thinks to be dead.
The general oversaw Israel’s response to the attack, a devastating assault on the besieged Palestinian territory, an open-air prison, that has killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Brutal military campaign
The inhumane Israeli military campaign has destroyed much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, while Israel’s severe restrictions on humanitarian supplies and assistance to the territory have led to warnings of a humanitarian disaster by the United Nations and other relevant organisations.
Halevi, in his letter of resignation, said that the military had, under his command “failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel” when Hamas attacked, but had made “significant achievements” in the ensuing war.
“My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, hour by hour, and will do so for the rest of my life,” Halevi wrote in his resignation letter to Defence Minister Israel Katz.
He wrote he was resigning at a time of “significant successes” for the military, although he also said that “not all” of Israel’s war goals had been achieved.
War objectives
“The objectives of the war have not all been achieved. The army will continue to fight to further dismantle Hamas and its governing capabilities, ensure the return of the hostages”, and enable Israelis displaced by militant attacks to return home, he said.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid commended Halevi for resigning and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quit.
“Now, it is time for them to take responsibility and resign – the prime minister and his entire catastrophic government,” Lapid said.
After Halevi announced his resignation, Major General Yaron Finkelman – head of Israel’s Southern Command, which oversees operations in Gaza – also resiged.
These resignations could add to calls for an inquiry into the October 7 failures, something Netanyahu – whose leadership could be implicated – has said will wait till the war is ended.
Criticism from far-right
Katz thanked Halevi for his services to the military and showed gratitude that he would continue to fulfil his duties unless a successor was named. Netanyahu also accepted Halevi’s resignation.
Halevi was often criticised by far-right figures in Netanyahu’s government including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich on Tuesday commended Halevi for the military’s success in destroying Hamas’s military capabilities during the invasion but also blamed on his shoulders for the October 7 attack.
“My criticism of his failure in the campaign to eliminate Hamas’s civilian and governmental capabilities, as well as his responsibility for the October 7th failure, does not diminish the great gratitude we owe him for all his work and contributions over the years and his achievements,” said Smotrich, who opposed the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“The coming period will be marked by the replacement of the senior military command as part of preparations for the renewal of the war, this time in the West Bank until complete victory.”
Under his watch, the Israeli military committed mass murder, and war crimes which led to the accusations of genocide from different rights groups. People were killed indiscriminately, including children, women, and civilians. Hospitals were bombed, schools were destroyed and food supplies were blocked.
