Israel’s top general Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has resigned, citing the security failures that allowed Hamas to enter and attack Israel on October 7, 2023. He is the most prominent Israeli official to resign over the attack so far, reported Reuters.
The resignation also comes days after a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In his letter of resignation, Halevi said the military, under his command, had “failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel.”
Halevi, who began what was meant to be a three-year term in January 2023, said his resignation would go into effect from March 6, according to AP.
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On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas-led militants carried out a land, sea and air assault into southern Israel, rampaging through army bases and nearby communities for hours.
The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
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In response, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed over 46,000 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The fighting has left much of Gaza in ruins and displaced most of the enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.
On Sunday, a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect in Gaza. The ceasefire is supposed to last for six weeks and see 33 militant-held hostages released in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Three hostages and 90 prisoners were released on Sunday when the ceasefire took effect after a three-hour delay.
