The IDF chief and Southern Command leader resigned to take responsibility for Oct. 7 failures

The Times of Israel

IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, in a letter to Halevi, did not specify a date.
The military achievements of the IDF have altered the Middle East,” he wrote.
It is the first time in 17 years that an IDF chief of staff has resigned before completing their three-year tenure.
Zamir was twice passed over for the role of military chief in the past.
Shortly after Halevi’s resignation announcement, Finkelman, the head of the IDF Southern Command, notified the chief of staff that he also intends to quit.

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Tuesday saw shocking revelations from Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. General. Due to their involvement in the shortcomings that resulted in the October 7, 2023, attack by the Hamas terror group, Herzi Halevi and the commander of the IDF Southern Command announced their resignations from the military.

In a letter to Israel Katz, the defense minister, Halevi announced his intention to leave the IDF on March 6. The commander of IDF Southern Command, Maj. General. In a letter to Halevi, Yaron Finkelman omitted a date.

A ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip went into effect two days ago, and the announcements come 15 months into the conflict that was triggered by the terrorist organization’s attack. Days after the ceasefire agreement’s initial phase concluded, Halevi would depart.

Halevi has stated multiple times since the war began that he plans to accept responsibility for the failures of October 7 and step down.

“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 an agreement to release hostages,” Halevi said in a statement that he was leaving the military. “”.

By the time he resigned, Halevi promised to finish the IDF’s investigations into the October 7 attack and get the military ready for potential difficulties.

“I will give my successor command of the IDF in a thorough and high-quality manner,” he continued in the statement.

Halevi wrote to Katz, “Under my leadership, the IDF failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens on the morning of October 7.”. Every day, every hour, and for the remainder of my life, I will bear the responsibility for this horrible failure. “”.

The IDF managed to overcome a very challenging beginning and fight a fierce campaign on seven fronts for more than a year and three months. The Middle East has changed due to the IDF’s military accomplishments,” he wrote. “First and foremost, the IDF’s commanders and soldiers—my subordinates—are responsible for these accomplishments. “.”.

“I request to end my tenure on March 6, 2025, in recognition of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, at a time when the IDF has recorded extraordinary achievements and restored Israel’s deterrence and strength,” Halevi wrote.

This choice was taken a long time ago. The moment has arrived, he continued, “with the IDF controlling every theater of battle and another hostage return deal in progress.”.

In a later televised statement, Halevi claimed responsibility for both the military’s wartime successes and the October 7 failures. He also called for the appointment of an outside panel to look into the army’s shortcomings.

“I took clear and vocal responsibility for the IDF’s failure to protect civilians” during the October 7 onslaught on the first day of the war, during the General Staff’s situation assessment,” Halevi stated. “I publicly did so once more on the sixth day of the war.”. “”.

“The protection of the nation’s citizens is the IDF’s main goal. We didn’t succeed in that. He declared, “I will live with the repercussions of that awful day for the rest of my life. I have endured them ever since.”.

Throughout my time in the IDF, I learned that an operation doesn’t end until its missions are finished. When everyone has returned, the operation is over. Following a debriefing, an operation comes to an end. Regardless of the force’s success or failure, the IDF’s investigations are meant to teach us,” Halevi stated.

He stated that the IDF “must conduct comprehensive, high-quality, and fully transparent investigations and provide answers.”. “.”.

“We look into this because we are committed to the fallen, the hostages and their families, and the people of the Western Negev; we do it because we have a responsibility to learn and in a way that will help us protect Israeli citizens in the future,” Halevi stated.

Regarding the widespread conspiracy theories surrounding October 7, Halevi also said, “I can say with confidence now: no one hid information.”. Nobody was aware of what was going to occur. Nobody assisted the enemy in committing its atrocities. In addition to being untrue, such statements hurt the committed service members who have acted and are still acting for the security of the country and who are acutely aware of their obligations in light of the results.

Following the conclusion of the IDF’s investigations, we will have a better understanding of what transpired, why it occurred, and how to resolve it. He stated that the military investigation is limited to the IDF and cannot cover all the factors and areas that could stop future occurrences of the same kind. “The IDF will be fully transparent and an investigative committee or any other external body will be able to look into and examine.”. “”.

“I am accountable for both the IDF’s accomplishments and its failures. Since the start of the war, there has been a great deal of suffering, loss, and grief. I will state up front that I wish we had not needed these accomplishments.

In his remarks, Halevi stated that he has no plans to continue in his position.

“I’ll soon have served in the military for forty years. I made this choice a long time ago, and now that another hostage agreement has been initiated and the IDF is in control of all combat zones, the time is right,” he continued.

This is the first time an IDF chief of staff has quit before their three-year term is up in 17 years. Length. Gen. Dan Halutz resigned in 2007 due to the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

It was unclear who would take Halevi’s place.

Since the beginning of the conflict, media reports have mentioned Maj. as a possible Halevi successor on multiple occasions. General. [res. ) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry’s current director general and a former deputy chief of staff. Zamir was twice previously passed over for the position of military chief.

The deputy of Halevi, Maj. Gen. Amir Baram requested earlier this month to leave his position at the end of February, as planned. In his letter, Baram stated that he wants to take Halevi’s place.

Maj is also a possible contender. Gen. The IDF Northern Command is currently led by Ori Gordin.

Before the letter was made public, Katz said he had a conversation with Halevi and thanked the chief of staff “for his contribution to the IDF throughout his years of service as a fighter and as a commander, and for his part in the great achievements of the IDF in the difficult war that was imposed on us.”. “.”.

The defense minister added that he would start interviewing people in the next few days to fill the position of IDF chief of staff.

Finkelman, the commander of IDF Southern Command, informed the chief of staff that he also plans to resign shortly after Halevi announced his resignation.

“I failed in my duty to protect the Western Negev and its brave, cherished inhabitants on October 7.”. I will always carry this failure with me,” Finkelman wrote in a handwritten letter.

I had the honor of leading the victory generation, which consisted of exceptional leaders, combatants, and soldiers during this conflict. The IDF and the State of Israel will be remembered for their valiant and outstanding battles,” he wrote.

“Commander, I am grateful for your unwavering and moral leadership, as well as your genuine partnership during the most trying times. Finkelman went on, “I will carry out my mission for however long I am required.”.

Halevi and Finkelman will accompany Maj., the former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate. General. Aharon Haliva, and the former Gaza Division commander, Brig. General. Avi Rosenfeld, who quit due to the October 7 attack as well. The onslaught caused another top intelligence general to resign, but he did so after receiving a cancer diagnosis. ).

Although he has not yet resigned, the head of the Shin Bet security agency and other senior defense officials have acknowledged their role in the October 7 deadly invasion by Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the majority of his government, however, have consistently denied responsibility for their role in the sequence of operational and strategic blunders that resulted in the Hamas assault, stating that the issue should only be addressed after the war. Additionally, Netanyahu has opposed popular calls for the creation of a state commission to investigate the failures of October 7, 2023.

On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists launched a murderous rampage of previously unheard-of scope and intensity as they entered southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. With bases closest to the border overrun and the chain of command appearing to be broken in the midst of the chaos, the IDF found it difficult to mount a response.

About 1,200 people in Israel lost their lives in the assault, while another 251 were abducted and much of the region was destroyed. The majority of the casualties were civilians.

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