JERUSALEM – The Israeli military chief of staff announced on Jan 21 that he would resign in early March, citing in part the military’s failure while under his command to protect people from the Hamas-led attacks on Oct 7, 2023.
Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, who assumed the role in early 2023, has led the Israeli military throughout 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip, a ground invasion of Lebanon, air strikes and military operations in Syria, and Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
But the heavy toll of the Hamas attacks – 1,200 dead in Israel and 250 taken hostage to Gaza – had long prompted an expectation in Israel that the country’s security chiefs would ultimately resign.
In his letter of resignation, Lt-Gen Halevi wrote that he “made the decision to resign a long time ago”.
He said the time was “now ripe” for him to leave, with the military having rebuilt “Israel’s deterrence and might” and with a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas in place in Gaza.
“My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour and will for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
It was not immediately clear who would replace Lt-Gen Halevi.
A number of senior military officers have already resigned over the failures on Oct 7, 2023, with the head of the military’s Southern Command, Major-General Yaron Finkelman, also saying he would be resigning.
After 15 months of war in Gaza, the first phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas went into effect on Jan 19, with three hostages being released among a planned 33 in the next six weeks.
Some 94 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, though some may have since died in captivity.
Defence Minister Israel Katz thanked Lt-Gen Halevi for his contributions to the military.
Lt-Gen Halevi was often criticised by hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said his conduct of the war in Gaza was too soft.
Lt-Gen Halevi was in lockstep with former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was fired by Mr Netanyahu in November, and at loggerheads with some ministers over military conscription exemptions given to ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students.
He said despite the failings of Oct 7, 2023, Israel notched many military achievements since then that has “changed the Middle East”.
He pointed to Israel’s military degradation of Hamas that created conditions for returning hostages, its “unprecedented” damage to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, a significantly weakened Iran and destruction of significant parts of Syria’s military. NYTIMES, REUTERS
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