Israel’s intelligence chief stepped down Monday after saying he’d shoulder the blame for failing to prevent Hamas’ vicious October attacks that left nearly 1,200 citizens dead.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva — who leads the department charged with giving the government and military intelligence warnings and daily alerts — is the first senior official to resign after the Oct. 7 attacks, but others may soon follow him out the door.
“The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with,” Haliva wrote in his resignation letter. “I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever.”
In a statement, the military said its chief of staff had accepted Haliva’s decision and thanked him for nearly four decades of service.
The timing of additional resignations remains unclear.
The shocking Oct. 7 attacks began when marauders blew through Israel’s border defenses and charged through Israeli communities, murdering and kidnapping as they went.
By the end, nearly 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — lay dead. The terrorists also abducted nearly 250 hostages and brought them back to Gaza.
Israel is still fighting with Hamas in Gaza and with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in the north. Tensions with Iran have reached a boiling point, with attacks from both sides. Haliva’s resignation may help restore trust as critics say mass resignations may be viewed as a weakness by Israel’s enemies.
The everyday Israeli’s faith in their military — widely seen as one of the embattled country’s most trusted pillars — was shattered after the attack, some experts said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will answer the tough questions about his role but hasn’t acknowledged a role in the intelligence failure. He is not expected to step down.
Meanwhile, the war in Gaza has grown ever more brutal.
More than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died during the months-long campaign, according to local health officials. At least two-thirds of the dead are women and children.
Gaza’s two largest cities lie in ruins, and a humanitarian catastrophe looms in the form of what some say is an imminent famine.
With Post wires
