The Israeli military chief of staff announced on Tuesday that he would resign in early March, citing in part the military’s failure while under his command to protect people from the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who assumed the role in early 2023, has led the Israeli military throughout 15 months of war in Gaza, a ground invasion of Lebanon, airstrikes and military operations in Syria, and Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
But the heavy toll of the Hamas attacks — 1,200 dead in Israel and 250 taken hostage to Gaza — had long prompted an expectation in Israel that the country’s security chiefs would ultimately resign.
In his letter of resignation, General Halevi wrote that he “made the decision to resign a long time ago.” He said that the time was “now ripe” for him leave, with the military having rebuilt “Israel’s deterrence and might” and with a cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Hamas in place in Gaza.
“My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour and will for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
