Israeli Army Chief Herzi Halevi has announced that he will resign on March 6, 2024. On Tuesday (January 21), he made this announcement, citing the failure to prevent a major attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on October 7, 2023, as the reason for his decision.
Halevi stated that he will complete the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) investigation process and strengthen the army’s preparedness for future security challenges. However, his successor has not yet been announced.
The October 7 attack, which resulted in the death of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of approximately 250 people, sparked widespread public outrage. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly opposed initiating a state investigation into the matter.
In his resignation letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz, Halevi wrote, “On the morning of October 7, the IDF failed to fulfill its responsibilities. Israel had to pay the price for this failure.”
With four decades of military experience, Halevi personally acknowledged his failure, stating, “This horrific failure is a burden I will carry for the rest of my life.”
Several senior military officials have already resigned. The head of the Southern Command of the military, Major General Yaron Finkelman, has also announced his resignation.
After 15 months of conflict in Gaza, a ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect on Sunday. In the first phase, three hostages were released, with a total of 33 hostages expected to be freed over six weeks. It is believed that around 94 hostages are still in Gaza.
Defense Minister Israel Katz thanked Halevi for his contributions and stated that he would continue to serve until a new army chief is appointed. Netanyahu has also accepted Halevi’s resignation.
During the Gaza war, Halevi faced criticism from hardliners within Netanyahu’s government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described his Gaza war policies as “soft.”
In the October 2023 Israeli aggression on Gaza, over 46,000 Palestinians were killed, and Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed.
Halevi mentioned that despite the failure of October 7, Israel achieved significant military success. He highlighted weakening Hamas, destroying Hezbollah’s strength in Lebanon, weakening Iran, and dismantling Syria’s military infrastructure.
He also stated that anti-terror operations against Palestinian fighters are ongoing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.