In his final speech as the chief of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said he accepted responsibility for his role in the failure to warn about the October 7 Hamas attack. Nearly 1,200 people were killed during the rampage, including some by Israeli forces.
Haliva, who gave his resignation letter in April, handed command of the intel directorate to Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder. “On that Saturday we did not fulfill the most important mission which we are tasked with, providing a warning for war,” Haliva stated during the transition proceedings. “The responsibility for the failures of the Military Intelligence Directorate is on me.”
Israeli leaders ignored ample intelligence and warning from within its military during the runup to October 7. Washington shared the belief that Hamas would not attack Israel. Just days before the attack, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.”
The Hamas attack on southern Israel lasted for over 24 hours. During that period, Hamas killed hundreds of Israeli soldiers and civilians, and over 200 others were taken hostage in Gaza. Additionally, Israeli forces killed a number of their own civilians and soldiers attempting to prevent Hamas from taking them back to the Strip.
About 100 of the hostages were returned to Israel during a November ceasefire and hostage exchange. However, in the following nine months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to agree to any deal to free the hostages that required him to end the occupation of Gaza.
Since October 7, Israeli leaders have largely worked to squash any potential investigation, arguing it is not responsible while the country is still at war in Gaza. Haliva also called for establishing a state commission of inquiry into “all aspects that led to war, so that what happened to us will not happen ever again.”
