(RepublicanDaily.org) – “I will always carry the pain,” read part of Israeli Major General Aharon Haliva’s resignation letter, where he apologized for failing to prevent Hamas’ horrific October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, where thousands of civilian lives – including those of women and children – were lost.
Haliva is currently the chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israel Defense Force (IDF), and will vacate his post once a replacement has been appointed. His resignation was also approved by Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the IDF; and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s minister of defense.
In his letter, Haliva acknowledged that the intelligence arm of the Israeli military failed to “live up to the task” of preventing the attack. More than 1,200 people died that day, a vast majority of them civilians.
“I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever,” Haliva wrote.
The October 7 attack also sparked the current war in the Middle East that saw Israel attack the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Hostilities have recently escalated after Iran launched a massive missile attack on the Jewish state, with Israel responding with an attack of its own.
In a statement following the announcement, the IDF said that it had accepted Haliva’s decision to step down, and thanked the outgoing Major General for his four decades of service to the Jewish state. Some have also called for the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the attack, but he has largely ignored such calls. Netanyahu has also never publicly acknowledged the role of any failure of Israeli intelligence to prevent the events of October 7.
Haliva is the first top Israeli official to step down over the October 7 attacks. Another official, Brigadier General Amit Saar, who used to lead Israel’s Military Intelligence Research Department, was also reportedly going to step down over the attack, but announced that he was quitting his post after he was diagnosed with cancer.
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