“Recognizing my responsibility for the failure of the army on October 7, and at a time when it is recording significant successes on all fronts and a new hostage release agreement is in progress, I ask terminate my duties on March 6, 2025. In an internal letter sent by the army to AFP, the chief of staff of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, presented his resignation on Tuesday January 21, citing his “responsibility” in the attack unprecedented by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Herzi Halevi, 57, has held this position since January 2023. “For 40 years, my mission to protect the State of Israel has been the mission of my life.” But “on the morning of October 7, the army under my leadership failed,” he wrote. “My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day and will accompany me all my life.” However, General Halevi affirmed that “the army would continue to fight to continue the dismantling of Hamas and its power capacities, the return of the hostages and the strengthening of security conditions to ensure the return of the inhabitants of the south and the north in their homes.”
“Catastrophic government”
Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, thanked him “for his long years of service and his command of the army during the war on seven fronts, which brought great successes for the State of Israel”, according to a press release from his office. But this resignation hurts his government, in an already very tense political situation.
A few minutes later, the leader of the opposition, Yaïr Lapid, called on X for the resignation of the government. “Now it is time for them to take responsibility and resign – the Prime Minister and his entire catastrophic government,” he said.
Herzi Halevi joined the Israeli army in 1985 in a paratrooper unit before being promoted to the “Sayeret Matkal”, an elite unit, of which he took charge. He then led the 91st Division, responsible for protecting the border with Lebanon. He was appointed in 2014 as head of military intelligence, then four years later as head of the Southern Command, responsible for the Gaza Strip, before accessing the highest military responsibilities in 2023.
Several key defections
Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would meet candidates for his succession “in the coming days”, according to a statement from his office. “I will choose the best candidate to fulfill this mission,” he assured. Local media mentioned two names: the current director of the Ministry of Defense, General Eyal Zamir and the deputy chief of staff, General Amir Baram.
The army also announced on Tuesday the resignation of the current head of the military command of the Southern region, General Yaron Finkelman. In his letter to Herzi Halevi, General Finkelman claims to have “failed on October 7 to protect the beloved and heroic residents” of areas near Palestinian territory.
The only resignation at this level within the Israeli army since October 7 was that of General Aaron Haliva, head of the Intelligence Service. He resigned in April 2024.