On Wednesday, August 21st, Israel’s military intelligence chief, Aharon Haliva, once again stated during his resignation ceremony that he was unable to fulfill the responsibility of defending the country’s borders on October 7, 2023.
With 38 years of military experience, Major General Aharon Haliva announced his resignation on April 22 this year. He, along with several senior Israeli commanders, admitted that they failed to foresee and prevent the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
Chief of the armed forces, Major General Herzi Halevi, and the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, also acknowledged their responsibilities for failing to prevent the attack but remained in their positions during the ongoing Gaza conflict.
In his resignation letter, Haliva wrote, “The intelligence department I commanded failed to complete the mission entrusted to us,” mentioning that since Hamas launched their assault, he has not forgotten that “dark day.”
During the resignation ceremony on Wednesday, Haliva once again stated, “The failure of the intelligence agency is my fault.” He called for a nationwide investigation to “study” and “deeply understand” the reasons behind the massacre targeting Israelis.
The attack on October 7 last year not only led to the prolonged battle known as the Haifa War but also severely tarnished the reputation of the Israeli military and intelligence agencies. The Israeli army and intelligence were once considered invincible against Palestinian armed groups like Hamas.
In the early hours of October 7, after intense rocket attacks, thousands of armed militants from Hamas and other organizations breached the security barriers around Gaza, ambushed the Israeli military, and rampaged through communities in southern Israel, brutally killing Israelis.
According to Israeli statistics, around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners lost their lives in the attack, mostly civilians, with about 250 people being taken hostage in Gaza. It is believed that approximately 109 hostages are still in Gaza, with a third of them reportedly deceased.
Israel announced on Tuesday, August 20, that they had discovered the bodies of six hostages in southern Gaza and will continue negotiating with Hamas to secure the release of over a hundred remaining hostages trapped in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli Defense Forces shared on X platform that the hostage rescue operation was conducted based on accurate intelligence provided by the Israeli intelligence department. They also mentioned in the post, “We will continue our operations to bring all remaining hostages back home.”
(This article references reports from Reuters)