Israel's outgoing head of military intelligence, Major General Aharon Haliva, a 38-year military veteran, accepted responsibility for his country's border defense failures on October 7 during his resignation ceremony on Wednesday. Haliva, who announced his resignation in April, was among several senior Israeli commanders who admitted they failed to anticipate and thwart the deadliest attack in Israel's history.
"The failure of the intelligence corps was my fault," Haliva stated at the ceremony, urging for a national investigation to thoroughly study and understand the causes that precipitated the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The October 7 attack severely damaged the reputation of the Israeli military and intelligence services, which were previously considered nearly invincible by groups like Hamas.
In the early hours of October 7, after a heavy rocket barrage, thousands of Hamas and other group fighters breached security barriers around Gaza, catching Israeli forces off guard. According to Israeli records, approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed in the attack, the majority being civilians, and around 250 were captured and taken to Gaza. It is believed that about 109 hostages remain in Gaza, with an estimated third of them presumed dead.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign has resulted in the death of at least 40,173 people in Gaza. Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, the head of the armed forces, and Ronen Bar, the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, both took responsibility after the attack but have remained in their positions as the conflict in Gaza continues.
