Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced on Tuesday that he had submitted his resignation and claimed responsibility for the deadly October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army carried out a major military operation in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing six people and wounding 35 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Halevi, who took office in January 2023, said his resignation would take effect on March 6.
Lt. Gen. Halevi is the highest-ranking Israeli official to resign over security failures on October 7, 2023, when thousands of militants led by Hamas – the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU – entered southern Israel and attacked communities near border and military bases.
In this attack, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and another 250 were kidnapped. More than 90 hostages are still being held in Gaza and it is believed that around a third of them are already dead.
In his resignation letter, Halevi said that under his leadership the army “failed to fulfill its duty to protect the State of Israel.”
Israel previously announced it was conducting a “large and extensive military operation” against Palestinian militants in Jenin.
The city has seen frequent clashes between the Israeli army and militants in recent years, even before the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
As euronews.al wrote, the war in Gaza has caused numerous casualties and great material damage. As a result of the Israeli offensive, more than 46,000 Palestinians were killed.
Tuesday’s operation came days after a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in Gaza over the weekend.
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