Halevi hints at stepping down after Oct.7 probe
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Numerous Israeli military, security, and political authorities are taking personal responsibility for the inability to prevent Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
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Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks during a ceremony on January 16, 2023. (AP)
General Herzi Halevi, "Israel's" Chief of General Staff, has declared that he may step down after the inquiry into the military's inability to respond to Operation al-Aqsa Flood is concluded.
"Israel" has been embroiled in investigations into the many intelligence failures of that day, implicating even Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation cited Halevi's internal message to Israeli soldiers on Friday as he said he would make "personal decisions" as leaders take responsibility.
Halevi stated that unlike in the past, the Israeli army opted to undertake rigorous debriefing sessions on October 7 while the war was ongoing. Usually, such probes are only undertaken after battles end.
While Halevi did not specify a clear date for the investigation's conclusion, the attention has shifted to the military's preparation and response with numerous Israeli military, security, and political authorities taking personal responsibility for the inability to prevent the attack.
Netanyahu has continuously refused to take personal responsibility for the incident. Netanyahu is advocating for the creation of a private committee of inquiry to prevent the formation of an official state commission of inquiry, according to Israel Hayom.
Earlier this month, Israel Hayom quoted senior officials from the Israeli military as saying that there has been a significant delay in presenting the findings of the investigations into the events of October 7, 2023.
They emphasized that this delay persists although many of the investigations are already completed and have been submitted to lower-level officials, with some ready to be presented to the Israeli Chief of Staff.
Israeli military chiefs 'failed miserably' in preventing Oct 7: Probe
Days ago, the Independent Civilian Commission of Inquiry found that multiple Israeli army chiefs, including Benny Gantz, share responsibility for failing to prevent the Palestinian Resistance's operation on October 7.
The commission blamed past and current security leaderships for promoting a smaller army with excessive reliance on technology, as well as for reducing military forces along the Gaza border.
It also condemned former Security Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and other senior officials for the lack of preparedness among soldiers at Southern Command bases and for abandoning female field observers during the attack.
The commission also held the Israeli army leadership responsible for "ignoring all warning lights" and failing to act on intelligence indicating a potential operation by the Resistance. This included disregarding warnings from field observers and not responding to multiple failures in the field. It also criticized the "lawless atmosphere" in settler communities near Gaza.
The commission further stated that the Israeli army failed to act on plans for the attack, despite having prior intelligence, and failed to convey critical warnings on the evening of October 6 and the morning of October 7.
As a result, soldiers in the field were left unprepared, with no reinforcements for hours. The report concludes that the Southern Command and Gaza Division “failed miserably", resulting in a collapse of defense systems, and that the command echelon failed both in intelligence and in planning a rapid response to the operation.
