The Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff announced he would step down in the coming months over a failure to prevent the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. Since the Hamas assault, he has led the IDF as it waged a genocidal war in Gaza. 

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said he will resign in March. “As a result of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the military has recorded exceptional achievements in restoring Israel’s deterrence and strength, I wish to conclude my tenure on March 6, 2025.”

He added, “On the morning of October 7, under my command, the IDF failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel.” Netanyahu’s office responded to Halevi’s letter by saying the Prime Minister “thanked the Chief of Staff for his long service and his command of the IDF.”

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. 

Since then, the IDF has decimated the Gaza Strip in a genocidal assault per multiple human rights organizations. Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court for the war crimes conducted by the IDF in Gaza. 

Halevi’s resignation follows weeks of pressure from Netanyahu, Katz, and right-wing members of the Israeli government. The Jerusalem Post reports Netanyahu and Katz are working, so most of the blame for the security failures on October 7, 2023, falls on Halevi and not the Prime Minister. 

Some far-right members of the Israeli government have attacked Halevi for resisting their maximalist demands. Under Halevi, the IDF said Netanyahu’s goal of defeating Hamas was unachievable. 

Recently, former Secretary of State Antony Blinked said that Hamas was able to replenish its ranks with fresh recruits. Following the ceasefire taking effect on Sunday, Hamas fighters emerged in Gaza in a strong show of force. 

The Hamas attack on southern Israel followed over a decade of the Netanyahu policy of propping up the militant group in Gaza to maintain a split between Gaza and the Fatah-controlled Palestinian government in the West Bank. Netanyahu believed that Hamas’s control over Gaza gave him an excuse not to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians.