The head of Israel’s military intelligence resigns over Hamas attack and calls for investigation

JERUSALEM, April 22: Israel’s military intelligence chief Major General Aharon Haliva resigned Monday, taking responsibility for his unit’s failures during the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on the Jewish state.
Haliva is the first general of the Israeli Army General Staff to leave his position due to the failures that led to the massive attack by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza.
In his resignation letter, written in Hebrew, Haliva said: “The intelligence department failed to fulfill the task entrusted to us. During all my tasks, I knew that with authority comes heavy responsibility.”
The general said he was eager to “take responsibility” for what happened on October 7 and vowed to do his best to achieve as many war objectives as possible.
Haliva also called for the establishment of a state investigative commission, “which can investigate and discover in a thorough, in-depth, comprehensive and accurate manner all the factors and circumstances that led to the difficult events.”
At the same time, Haliva expressed in the letter his great appreciation for the performance of the personnel of the Military Intelligence Directorate in the war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Haliva’s resignation in a statement: “In a decision with the Chief of Staff and with the approval of the Minister of Defense, Major General Aharon Haliva will end his role and withdraw from the IDF following his appointment of a successor through an orderly and professional process.”
“The Chief of Staff thanked Major General Aharon Haliva for his service over 38 years in the IDF, during which he contributed significantly to the security of the state as a combatant and commander,” the report said.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Beliak, member of the Opposition Yesh Atid Party, in a post on
“The head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate was wise to resign. A state investigative commission should be established without delay. The Prime Minister must resign immediately regardless of the establishment of a state investigative commission,” he wrote.
Although several senior officials have accepted responsibility for the October 7 failures, in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas terror attack on Israeli territory and nearly 250 people were taken hostage, Netanyahu has shied away from responsibility, often offering a direct response to such attacks avoided. questions from scribes.
Citing a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, The Times of Israel newspaper said in a report on Monday that 62 percent of Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, believe it is time for those responsible for the October 7 failures to to resign from their positions.
Technology and intelligence, two of the strong pillars of Israel’s security apparatus, collapsed during the crucial test on October 7 and many around the world have questioned the Jewish state’s much-discussed image in these two areas, the report said. (PTI)