The head of Israel’s military intelligence submitted his resignation on Monday over the inability to detect the October 7 massacre in southern Israel.
“The Intelligence Directorate under my command did not fulfill its task. I have carried that black day with me ever since, every day, every night. I will forever bear the terrible pain of the war,” Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva wrote in a contrite letter.
The request was accepted by the IDF’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who thanked Haliva for his "38 years of service in the IDF, during which he made significant contributions to the security of the State of Israel as both a combat soldier and commander.”
The abdication comes as Haliva previously took responsibility for the incursion when, on October 17, he said that his organization “failed in our most important mission, and as the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, I bear full responsibility for the failure.”
The general, who is the first senior Israeli military official to resign over the incident, will reportedly step down once a replacement is announced.