The head of Israeli military intelligence, Major General Aharon Haliva, has resigned and will leave once a successor is appointed, the military said in a statement on Monday.
The military said that Haliva had asked to end his service “following his leadership responsibility”. Shortly after the war with Hamas began, Haliva had publicly said that he shouldered blame for not preventing the assault at the head of the military department responsible for providing the government and the military with intelligence warnings and daily alerts.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliwa becomes the first senior Israeli figure to step down after Hamas’ attack, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with roughly 250 more taken captive, and sparked the six-month-long war against Hamas in Gaza.
The military’s statement expressed gratitude for Haliva’s service and confirmed that his request to resign had been accepted.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva’s resignation sets the stage for what’s expected to be more fallout from Israel’s top security brass over Hamas’ attack on October 7 last year, when militants blasted through Israel’s border defences, rampaged through Israeli communities unchallenged for hours and killed 1,200 people, most civilians, while taking roughly 250 hostages into Gaza. That attack set off the war against Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month.
The ongoing conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, along with heightened tensions with Iran, add complexity to the situation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced scrutiny but has not fully accepted responsibility for the attack’s consequences.
With inputs from Reuters
