IDF chief of staff resigns, says Oct. 7 failures will ‘haunt me forever’
JERUSALEM – Israel’s most senior military figure, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi released a statement he had spoken to Defense Minister Israel Katz and tended his resignation – effective March 6 – after accepting responsibility for the IDF’s failings over the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and subsequent massacre of some 1,200 Israelis, as well as 251 being taken hostage.
In his statement, he said those failings would “haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“I notified the defense minister today (Tuesday) that in acknowledgment of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on Oct. 7 and at this juncture when the IDF has recorded significant achievements and is implementing a hostage release agreement, I am requesting to conclude my tenure on March 6, 2025,” he wrote in an official statement.
“During the remaining period, I will complete all investigations and reinforce the IDF’s operational capabilities to meet security challenges,” he added.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to resign in March, citing military failure on October 7.
Halevi: “I informed the Defense Minister today (Tuesday) that, by virtue of my recognition of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7 and at a time when the IDF has made… pic.twitter.com/OSkm5XMWmT
— Arsen Ostrovsky ️ (@Ostrov_A) January 21, 2025
“Throughout the past four decades, protecting Israel’s security has been the mission that defined my life,” Halevi wrote.
“On the morning of Oct. 7, the IDF under my command failed to fulfill its fundamental mission of protecting Israeli citizens. The State of Israel has endured a devastating and painful toll – in lives lost, in hostages taken, and in both physical and psychological trauma. Despite countless acts of valor from many – our security forces, IDF soldiers and commanders, and brave civilians – these heroic efforts could not prevent the catastrophic outcome. The weight of my responsibility for this terrible failure remains with me every day, every hour, and will continue to do so for the remainder of my life,” he emphasized.
Halevi assumed his current role in January 2023, replacing Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, and following a career which included serving in crucial leadership positions such as director of Military Intelligence, commander of the Southern Command, and deputy chief of staff. With his resignation, Halevi will become the third-shortest serving permanent IDF chief of staff, who stepped down after some 20 months following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster noted Halevi requested to Katz he conclude his position after the first 42-day phase of the current hostage deal with Hamas is expected to end on March 1.
The current commander of the Southern Command, which has responsibility for the area around the Gaza Strip, Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelman, who assumed office in July 2023, less than three months before the events of Oct. 7, also announced the conclusion of his tenure. He too spoke of the weight of failure that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Prior to Halevi’s resignation, the most senior military personality to fall on their sword was the former head of the IDF’s military intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva, who tendered his resignation in April 2024. He called for a commission of inquiry into the military and intelligence failures of Oct. 7, a position Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strenuously resisted with claims it would be inappropriate while the war is still being fought.
Families of victims of the Oct. 7 massacre called Halevi’s resignation an “excellent start,” saying other senior military personnel and politicians should follow suit.
Indeed, there will be increased pressure on Netanyahu to similarly resign. In the past he has artfully tried to shift the blame for the massive statewide failures on Oct. 7 solely on the military and intelligence chiefs. And now the heads of the Knesset’s opposition have called on the prime minister to do as the military’s top man has just done. Yair Lapid, leader of the official opposition thanked Halevi for his years of service, and in the same X post said, “Now let the prime minister and his entire disastrous government take responsibility and resign.”
מצדיע לרמטכ״ל, רא״ל הרצי הלוי.
עכשיו שיקחו אחריות ויתפטרו – ראש הממשלה וכל ממשלת האסון שלו.— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) January 21, 2025