CNN
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Israel’s army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Helj Halevi, announced in March that he would resign over his failure to stop the October 7 attack.
In a letter to the Israeli prime minister and defense minister released by the military, Halevi said: “As a result of my responsibility for the IDF failure of October 7, and in this period when the military has recorded extraordinary achievements in restoring Israel’s deterrence and strength,” I wrote on March 6, 2025. I hope to finish my term on the 1st. ”
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz had given Halevi a January 30 deadline to complete an internal military investigation into the failure to stop Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.
Halevi’s resignation marks the most high-profile departure of an Israeli official in connection with the October 7 security failure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to take responsibility for these failures, saying that responsibility will only come after the war.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu met with Halevi on Tuesday and “thanked his chief of staff for his many years of service and leadership of the Israel Defense Forces.”
The resignation came just days after a ceasefire with Hamas went into effect in Gaza. Talks towards a permanent end to the war are scheduled to begin on February 4, based on the agreement.
“On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect the Israeli people,” Halevi wrote. “The State of Israel has paid a heavy and painful price in terms of lives lost, hostages taken, injured, both physical and psychological.”
The military commander is also under pressure from Israel’s far-right nationalist ministers, who believe he is unable or unwilling to carry out his maximalist vision for war in Gaza and the West Bank. It was regarded as such.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich considered resigning from the government over his opposition to the Gaza ceasefire, but decided to stay on, saying he had received assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue Israeli military operations.
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, commander of Israel’s Southern Command, also submitted his resignation on October 7, stating that he had “failed to protect the Western Negev and its beloved and heroic people.”
