The Chief of the Israeli General Staff, Herzi Halevi, has presented his resignation to the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, due to the military failure that allowed the Palestinian group Hamas to launch the attacks of October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people died and More than 200 were kidnapped.
In his resignation letter, published by the Israeli Army, Halevi assures that his “responsibility” for the attacks follows him “day after day, hour after hour.” “I will live like this for the rest of my life,” he writes.
The country’s top military official has requested to leave his post on March 6 of this year. Until that day, Halevi will oversee the Army’s investigations into October 7.
Katz, the Minister of Defense, has responded to the request of the Chief of the General Staff and thanked him for his “contribution to the Army throughout his years of service as a soldier and commander.” “The chief of the General Staff will continue to fulfill his duties and will carry out an orderly succession process until the end of his duties,” the minister explained in a statement.
Halevi had already announced that he planned to resign once the war against Hamas in Gaza ended, where last Sunday a ceasefire came into force that is expected to last for six weeks, during which 33 Israeli hostages who remain in the Strip From October 7, 2023, they will be released in exchange for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The first three hostages were released on Sunday in good condition, after which 90 Palestinian prisoners, the vast majority women and children, were freed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In his letter, Halevi argues that Israel now has an “advantage” on all its fronts (Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iran and Yemen), making it the best time to leave office.
Along with Halevi, the military officer in charge of Israel’s Southern Command (where the Gaza Strip is located), Yaron Finkelman, has also submitted his resignation.
At the moment, no political position has assumed responsibility for October 7 and all the resignations have occurred in the military or intelligence spheres.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who to date has not accepted any responsibility for October 7, has refused to consider launching a public investigative process while the war in the Gaza Strip continues.
The majority of Israeli society, including voters who support the current government coalition, are in favor of establishing a state commission to investigate on October 7, according to polls.
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