Israel’s military and intelligence officials missed or ignored many warnings before hundreds of Hamas fighters breached Israel’s perimeter fence in Gaza at several points 15 months ago and attacked nearby Israeli communities, IDF bases and music facilities. festival. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
The IDF responded by launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza that killed more than 47,100 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
General Halevi said in a televised address on Tuesday that Hamas’s military wing had been “severely damaged”, with most of the group’s leadership and military commanders killed, along with nearly 20,000 “operatives”.
He also promised that the IDF’s investigation into the events of October 7, which he plans to complete before he leaves office, will be “high quality, thorough and fully transparent.”
He cautioned, however, that the military investigation “focuses solely on the IDF and does not address broader factors that could prevent similar events in the future.”
“A commission of inquiry or any other external body can conduct an investigation and audit and will receive full transparency from the IDF,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked General Halevi “for his many years of service and command of the IDF” during the war, saying it “led to great achievements for Israel.”
So far, Netanyahu has said only that he deeply regrets what happened on October 7 and that he will have to answer “some difficult questions” about his role, without admitting any responsibility. He also said that an independent commission of inquiry should wait until the end of the war in Gaza.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Halevi’s decision and called on Netanyahu to follow suit.
“Now is the time for them to take responsibility and resign – the Prime Minister and his entire disastrous government,” he said.
