The head of Israel’s military department resigned due to the failure on October 7, 2023

Israel’s military chief has resigned, saying he accepts responsibility for his failure on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly attack on the country, sparking the Gaza war.

In a letter to the Defense Minister, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi admitted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel.”

“My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour and will be so for the rest of my life,” he added.

The general said he would leave his post on March 6 at a time of “significant achievements” for the Israel Defense Forces, although he acknowledged that “not all” of Israel’s military goals had been achieved.

“The military will continue to fight to further dismantle Hamas and its leadership capacity, secure the return of hostages” and allow Israelis displaced by the armed groups to return home, he added.

Shortly thereafter, the head of the IDF’s Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, also announced that he was also resigning, saying he had failed in his “duty to protect the Western Negev and its beloved, heroic residents.”

Their resignations came three days after the start of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages agreed with Hamas, which is banned as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and others.

Israel’s military and intelligence officials missed or ignored many warnings before hundreds of Hamas fighters breached Israel’s perimeter fence in Gaza 15 months ago and attacked nearby Israeli communities, IDF bases and a music festival. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.

The IDF responded by launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza that killed more than 47,100 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

General Halevi said in a televised address on Tuesday that Hamas’s military wing had been “severely damaged”, with most of the group’s leadership and military commanders killed, along with nearly 20,000 “operatives”.

He also promised that the IDF’s investigation into the events of October 7, which he plans to complete before he leaves office, will be “high quality, thorough and fully transparent.”

He cautioned, however, that the military investigation “focuses solely on the IDF and does not address broader factors that could prevent similar events in the future.”

“A commission of inquiry or any other external body can conduct an investigation and audit and will receive full transparency from the IDF,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked General Halevi “for his many years of service and command of the IDF” during the war, saying it “led to great achievements for Israel.”

So far, Netanyahu has said only that he deeply regrets what happened on October 7 and that he will have to answer “some difficult questions” about his role, without admitting any responsibility. He also said that an independent commission of inquiry should wait until the end of the war in Gaza.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Halevi’s decision and called on Netanyahu to follow suit.

“Now is the time for them to take responsibility and resign – the Prime Minister and his entire disastrous government,” he said.

General Halevi is currently overseeing the IDF’s implementation of a three-phase Gaza cease-fire agreement with Hamas, under which the remaining Israeli hostages must be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

A total of 33 hostages should be released in the first phase, which will last six weeks. Hamas handed over three women on Sunday when the ceasefire took effect and said it would release four more women on Saturday.

Israeli troops must also withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians must be allowed to begin returning to their homes, and hundreds of aid trucks must enter the territory daily.

Talks on the second phase – which should involve the release of the remaining hostages, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and the “restoration of sustainable peace” – are due to begin in just over two weeks.

The third and final phase should include the rebuilding of Gaza, which could take years, and the return of the remaining bodies of the hostages.

Still, Palestinians in Gaza and the families of the hostages are deeply concerned about whether the deal will hold.

This was announced on Monday by the new US President, Donald Trump, who took over mediation in the ceasefire he was not sure that all three stages would be implemented.

Netanyahu said Israel already has US support to return to hostilities if it “concludes that the second phase of negotiations is ineffective.”