Israel’s Chief of General Staff Major General Herzi Halevi announced his resignation by submitting an official letter to Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday.
Israeli army chief resigns over Hamas attack and Gaza war failures
Herzi Halevi held himself responsible for the Israeli military’s failure to prevent a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7. His resignation will take effect on March 6.
Halevi acknowledged the army’s shortcomings, particularly its failure to anticipate the Hamas attack that escalated into the long war in Gaza. He called the army’s recent achievements a good time to resign.
The resignation came two days after a new agreement between Israel and Hamas was brokered by the US and other mediators. The agreement, labelled a “ceasefire” by international parties and a “hostage release agreement” by Israel, is aimed at de-escalating the conflict in Gaza.
Under the agreement, Israel began withdrawing its troops from densely populated areas of Gaza. Simultaneously, three Israeli female hostages were exchanged for 95 Palestinian prisoners, marking the initial phase of a six-week deal.
Several other senior military officials, including military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva and internal security chief Ronen Bar, also announced plans to resign, citing intelligence failures leading up to the Hamas attack. The resignations signal a broader reshuffle in Israel’s security system.
Israel begins operation in West Bank
Israeli security forces launched an operation in the West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least eight people were killed in the operation, launched a day after Donald Trump lifted sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the occupied territories.
Israeli security forces launched the operation in the West Bank town of Jenin a day after groups of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, smashing cars and burning property.
At least eight Palestinians were killed and 35 others were injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its first responders treated seven people injured by live ammunition and that Israeli troops were preventing them from entering the area.
Wissam Bakr, director of the Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin, said three nurses and two doctors were wounded by Israeli fire during the military operation.
The operation, codenamed “Iron Wall,” was carried out on the third day after the Gaza ceasefire and was described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “another step towards achieving our goal of strengthening security in Judea and Samaria.” He said it involved the police, military and the Shabak’s domestic intelligence service. He also added:
“We are acting methodically and decisively against the Iranian axis wherever it directs its weapons – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Judea and Samaria.”
Jenin has been the centre of Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank throughout the 15-month Gaza war. The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 800 people have been killed in Israeli raids since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that triggered the war.
