Israel army chief resigns over 7 October ‘failure’
Opposition leader Yair Lapid calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow Halevi’s example and resign, too
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Opposition leader Yair Lapid calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow Halevi’s example and resign, too
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JERUSALEM (AFP) — The head of Israel’s military resigned on Tuesday, taking responsibility for its “failure” to stop Hamas’ 7 October attack, days after a fragile truce took effect following 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip.
In his resignation letter, released by the army, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said he was stepping down “due to my acknowledgement of responsibility for the (military’s) failure on October 7,” but added that he was leaving at a time of “significant successes.”
He acknowledged, however, that the goals of the Gaza war “have not all been achieved,” adding the army would “continue to fight to further dismantle Hamas,” bring back the hostages and enable Israelis displaced by militant attacks to return home.
Shortly after his announcement, Major General Yaron Finkelman also resigned. Finkelman headed Israel’s southern military command, which is responsible for Gaza.
Hamas’ attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally of official Israeli figures.
It sparked a war that has levelled much of Gaza and, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, killed 47,107, a majority of them civilians, figures the United Nations has said are reliable.
In a televised address hours after announcing his resignation, Halevi said Israel’s campaign had killed “nearly 20,000 Hamas operatives.”
The 7 October attack, which also saw 251 people taken hostage, traumatized Israelis and created an unprecedented crisis for the country’s top leadership.
Ninety-one hostages remain in captivity, 34 of whom the military says are dead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed early in the war to crush Hamas and to bring home all the hostages.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday called on Netanyahu to follow Halevi’s example.
Saying he saluted the military chief for stepping down, Lapid added: “Now, it is time for them to take responsibility and resign -– the prime minister and his entire catastrophic government.”
