TEL AVIV: Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi and Southern Command Chief Major General Yaron Finkelman have announced their resignations over the failure of the Hamas attack on October 7, and the army chief will leave his post in March.
According to a CNN report, the Israeli army has released a letter written by Army Chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi to the prime minister and defense minister.
The Israeli army chief wrote in the letter that as a result of the army’s responsibility on October 7 and at a time when the Israeli army has achieved extraordinary successes in its defense capability, I intend to complete my term on March 6, 2025.
He wrote that on the morning of October 7, the Israeli armed forces under my command failed to protect Israeli citizens, the State of Israel had to pay a very heavy and painful price in terms of loss of life, and those arrested suffered physical and mental injuries.
A statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said that Netanyahu spoke with Army Chief Herzi Halevi and thanked him for his long service and leadership of the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the report, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has given the army chief a deadline of January 30 to complete the army’s internal investigation into the failure to stop the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The resignation of the Israeli army chief is a sign that the top official responsible for defense affairs is being removed in connection with the October 7 attack, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for the failure.
The Israeli prime minister had said that there would be accountability for this failure after the war.
It should be noted that the resignation of the Israeli army chief came a few days after the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, and under the agreement, a full ceasefire will begin on February 4.
The report on the resignation of the Israeli army chief states that he was also under pressure from ministers belonging to the hard-right wing of Israel, who consider the army chief to be the reason for the failure and avoidance of a hard war in Gaza and the West Bank.
The report further states that the commanding officer of Israel’s Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, has also submitted his resignation.
He wrote in his resignation that we have failed to protect the Western region, our beloved and brave people.
