In explosive announcements on Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and the head of the IDF’s Southern Command said they would both resign from the army over their role in the failures that led to the fall of the Hamas terrorist group on October 7. , 2023, assault.
Halevi, in a letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz, said he would leave the IDF on March 6. The head of the IDF Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, in a letter to Halevi, did not specify a date.
These announcements come 15 months after the start of the war triggered by the Hamas attack and two days after the entry into force of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with the terrorist group in the Strip. Gaza. Halevi’s departure would take place days after the end of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.
Halevi has repeatedly stated since the start of the war that he intended to take responsibility for the failures of October 7 and resign.
In a statement, Halevi said he was leaving the army after “acknowledging my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the IDF has recorded significant achievements and is in the process of implementing a agreement “. to free the hostages.
Halevi said he would complete the IDF’s investigations into the Oct. 7 attack before his resignation and prepare the army for future challenges.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) speaks to officers in Rafah, southern Gaza, alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman ( on the left) and the head of the Gaza division, Brig. General Barak Hiram (right), December 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Force)
“I will transfer command of the IDF in a qualitative and thorough manner to my replacement,” he added in the statement.
In his letter to Katz, Halevi said: “On the morning of October 7, under my command, the Israeli army failed in its mission to protect Israeli citizens. My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will remain so for the rest of my life. »
“The Israeli army was able to recover from an extremely difficult starting point and wage an intense campaign for more than a year and three months on seven different fronts. The IDF’s military achievements have changed the Middle East,” he wrote. “These achievements belong first and foremost to the commanders and soldiers of the IDF – to my subordinates. »
“In recognition of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the IDF has recorded extraordinary achievements and restored Israel’s deterrence and strength, I request to end my term on March 6, 2025,” Halevi wrote.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visits the Israel-Syria border, December 7, 2024. (FDI)
“This decision was made a long time ago. Now that the IDF has the upper hand in all theaters of combat and a new agreement on the return of hostages is underway, the time has come,” he added.
This is the first time in 17 years that an IDF chief of staff has resigned before the end of his three-year term. Lieutenant General Dan Halutz resigned in 2007 following the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
It was unclear who would replace Halevi.
One officer whose name has been repeatedly mentioned in the media since the start of the war as a potential successor to Halevi is Major General (Reserve) Eyal Zamir, the current director general of the Ministry of Defense and former chief deputy. staff. Zamir has twice been removed from the role of military leader in the past.
Eyal Zamir during a ceremony in Tel Aviv, July 11, 2021. (Flash90)
Halevi’s deputy, Major General Amir Baram, requested earlier this month to end his duties at the end of February as initially planned. Baram indicated in his letter that he was seeking to replace Halevi.
Katz, who spoke with Halevi before the letter was released, said he thanked the chief of staff “for his contributions to the IDF throughout his years of service as a fighter and commander, and for his part in the great achievements of the IDF. in the difficult war that has been imposed on us.
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram, August 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Force)
Shortly after Halevi’s resignation was announced, Finkelman, the head of the IDF’s Southern Command, informed the chief of staff that he also intended to resign.
“On October 7, I failed in my duty to protect the Western Negev and its heroic and beloved people. This failure is etched in me for life,” Finkelman said in a handwritten letter.
The head of the IDF Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman (center), is seen in the Gaza Strip, October 30, 2023. (Israel Defense Force)
“I have had the privilege of commanding extraordinary commanders, warriors and soldiers in this war – the generation of victory. Their battles will be remembered as chapters of heroism and excellence in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel,” he wrote.
“Commander, I thank you for your true partnership in times of ultimate testing, and for your steadfast and principled leadership. I will continue my mission as long as necessary,” Finkelman added.
Halevi and Finkelman will join former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, and former Gaza division commander, Brig. General Avi Rosenfeld, who also resigned following the October 7 attacks. (Another intelligence general who planned to resign following the assault resigned after being diagnosed with cancer.)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (L) meets with head of the Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman in northern Gaza, February 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Force )
Other senior defense officials have said they bear responsibility for the deadly Hamas-led invasion on October 7, including the head of the Shin Bet security agency, although he has not resigned again.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most members of his government have repeatedly refused to take responsibility for their part in the series of strategic and operational failures that led to the Hamas attack, insisting fact that the question of their responsibility will only be resolved after the war. . Netanyahu has also resisted widespread pressure to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures of October 7, 2023.
Thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, embarking on a murderous rampage of unprecedented intensity and scale. The Israeli military struggled to respond, with bases closest to the border overrun and the chain of command appearing broken amid the chaos.
The attack claimed the lives of some 1,200 people in Israel, while another 251 people were kidnapped and much of the area was devastated. Most of the victims were civilians.
