On Tuesday, Israel’s highest-ranking military officer, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, became the latest official to resign in response to the devastating attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. This incident is being regarded as one of the biggest security failures in Israel’s history. Throughout the subsequent 15-month conflict in Gaza, as well as associated tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon and exchanges of fire with Iran, Halevi remained in his position. However, as the ceasefire with Hamas commenced and the other military conflicts seemed to de-escalate, Halevi alongside the head of Israel’s Southern Command announced their decision to step down.
Their resignations are expected to amplify ongoing demands for a public investigation into the security and intelligence lapses that led to the October 7 attack. Such an inquiry could lead to potential implications for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has maintained that any public investigation should be conducted only after the conclusion of the ongoing war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in power for nearly all but one year out of the past 14 leading up to the attack, yet he has not accepted direct accountability for the failures leading to the security breach. While acknowledging that he, alongside others, deserves serious scrutiny, he has still insisted on postponing an inquiry until after the war has ended. Critics have held him accountable not just for the inability to prevent the attack, but also for his prolonged strategy of attempting to manage Hamas’s power in Gaza. This strategy included permitting Qatar to funnel significant financial support to the area, sometimes in cash-filled suitcases, in exchange for a modicum of peace.
During the war, Netanyahu has attempted to reshape his legacy by touting significant achievements against Iranian influence and its military allies regionally. He has expressed a commitment to continuing military efforts until all hostages taken during the October 7 attack are released and Hamas is properly dismantled.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was removed from his position by Netanyahu in November due to disagreements regarding war strategies. Gallant, who gained popularity during the conflict, consistently advocated for a public inquiry into the events of October 7 and shifted focus towards negotiating a hostage deal rather than solely pursuing Hamas’s destruction in the final months of his tenure.
Upon his resignation, Halevi took responsibility for the military’s operational failures on October 7, stating his intention to ensure that internal investigations regarding the incident are finalized prior to his departure, scheduled for March 6.
Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, has been in command since 2021 and was quick to accept responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack shortly after it occurred, yet he chose not to resign. He indicated that further investigations should be postponed until after the war.
As for David Barnea, the director of Mossad, he is less likely to be held accountable for the failures surrounding October 7, considering Mossad’s focus is primarily on intelligence operations outside of Israeli-controlled territories. He was actively involved in the negotiations that led to the ceasefire with Hamas.
Additionally, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, who led Israel’s Southern Command, expressed in his resignation letter a deep personal remorse for his inability to protect the southern region on October 7, acknowledging that this failure will haunt him for life. Similarly, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, who was responsible for military intelligence, resigned in April. He admitted that his department did not fulfill its critical duties on that day and stated that the memory of that tragic event would remain with him forever.
