The pinnacle of Israeli army intelligence resigned on Monday over the failures surrounding Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 assault, the army mentioned, changing into the primary senior determine to step down over his function within the deadliest assault in Israel’s historical past.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva’s resignation may set the stage for extra resignations amongst Israel’s high safety brass over Hamas’ assault, when militants blasted by means of Israel’s border defenses, rampaged by means of Israeli communities unchallenged for hours and killed 1,200 individuals, most civilians, whereas taking roughly 250 hostages into Gaza. That assault set off the battle in opposition to Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month.
“The intelligence directorate underneath my command didn’t dwell as much as the duty we had been entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, evening after evening. I’ll carry the horrible ache of the battle with me eternally,” Haliva wrote in his resignation letter, which was offered by the army.
Haliva, in addition to different army and safety leaders, had been broadly anticipated to resign in response to the obtrusive failures that led as much as Oct. 7 and the size of its ferocity.
However the timing of the resignations has been unclear as a result of Israel remains to be preventing Hamas in Gaza and battling the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah within the north. Tensions with Iran are additionally at a excessive following assaults between the 2 enemies. Some army consultants have mentioned resignations at a time when Israel is engaged on a number of fronts is irresponsible and could possibly be interpreted as an indication of weak point.
Shortly after the assault, Haliva had publicly mentioned that he shouldered blame for not stopping the assault as the pinnacle of the army division accountable for offering the federal government and the army with intelligence warnings and day by day alerts.
Whereas Haliva and others have accepted blame for failing to cease the assault, others have stopped brief, most notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has mentioned he’ll reply robust questions on his function however has not outright acknowledged direct accountability for permitting the assault to unfold. He has additionally not indicated that he’ll step down, though a rising protest motion is demanding elections be held quickly.
Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid welcomed the resignation, saying it was “justified and dignified.”
“It could be applicable for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the identical,” he wrote on X, previously Twitter.
The Hamas assault, which got here on a Jewish vacation, caught Israel and its vaunted safety institution totally off guard. Israelis’ sense of religion of their army — seen by most Jews as one of many nation’s most reliable establishments — was shattered within the face of Hamas’ onslaught. The resignation may assist restore a few of that belief.
The assault set off the devastating battle that has killed greater than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, in line with the native well being ministry. The ministry’s rely doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, nevertheless it says not less than two-thirds of the useless are youngsters and ladies.
The preventing has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities, and pushed 80% of the territory’s inhabitants to flee to different components of the besieged coastal enclave. The battle has sparked a humanitarian disaster that has drawn warnings of imminent famine.
The assault additionally despatched shock waves by means of the area. Past Hezbollah and Iran, tensions have rocked the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, in addition to cities and cities inside Israel itself.
On Monday, Israeli police mentioned {that a} automobile had slammed into pedestrians in Jerusalem, wounding three calmly, and safety digicam video confirmed two males exiting the automobile with a rifle earlier than the fleeing the scene. Police later mentioned they arrested the 2 males.
Related Press author Julia Frankel contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
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