IDF chief of staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halev resigns

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced his resignation, citing his responsibility for the military's failure to prevent Hamas' deadly October 7th attack. Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated he was fulfilling his commitment to resign after the attack on Israel. That attack resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 Israelis.

This event was the catalyst for the war in Gaza, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 47,000 Palestinians in the 15-month conflict. Lieutenant General Halevi will remain in his post until March 6th to ensure he can oversee the initial ceasefire period with Hamas and supervise the IDF’s investigation into the failures of October 7th.

In his resignation letter, he stated that the army under his command "failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel." He will depart on March 6th. “On the morning of October 7th, the IDF under my command failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel,” Halevi wrote in his letter. “The State of Israel paid a heavy and painful price — in life, in hostages, and in physical and mental trauma.”

“The heroic actions of many – security forces, IDF soldiers and commanders, and brave civilians – were not enough to prevent this great disaster. The responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me day by day, hour by hour, and will continue to accompany me for the rest of my life,” Halevi expressed in his letter his deep sense of responsibility for failing to prevent the attack.

Hours before Lieutenant General Halevi’s resignation on Tuesday, Israeli security forces, backed by helicopters, raided the volatile West Bank city of Jenin, resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “massive and significant military operation.”

This operation was launched a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian villages. Mr. Netanyahu announced this as a new offensive against Iranian-backed militants. “We are striking the Iranian axis systematically and resolutely wherever it extends its tentacles — Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said. Judea and Samaria is the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces have conducted numerous raids and large-scale incursions into Jenin in recent years, and this operation, just two days after a ceasefire in Gaza began, highlights the threat of more violence in the West Bank. The military stated that soldiers, police, and intelligence agencies have launched a counter-terrorism operation in Jenin. This follows weeks of operations by Palestinian security forces in autonomous areas of the West Bank to regain control of the adjacent refugee camp, a major militant hub for groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which are supported by Iran.

Hamas, based in Gaza, has expanded its influence in the West Bank in recent years and has called on Palestinians in the region to escalate their fight against Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that at least eight Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded at the start of the Israeli raid. A week earlier, Israeli airstrikes on the Jenin refugee camp killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens more. Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel, and thousands of Palestinians have been detained in regular Israeli raids.