Israel’s military chief announced Tuesday that he is resigning over his “failure” to prevent Hamas militants’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi wrote in a letter that he planned to resign as head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on March 6.
He is the highest-ranking Israeli official to resign as a result of the cross-border attack by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, which killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped and held another 250 in the Gaza Strip.
“As a result of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7, and at a time when the military has made exceptional achievements in restoring Israel’s deterrence and strength, I intend to conclude my term of office on March 6, 2025,” said the letter from the Israeli government. said top general.
A short time later, General Jaron Finkelman, who is responsible for the IDF’s Southern Command and also for the border with the Gaza Strip, also announced his resignation.
Much of Israel’s population believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the person ultimately responsible for the military and intelligence failures that have failed to avert the atrocities, but he has steadfastly refused to resign.
The attack by the Iran-backed Hamas provoked a massive Israeli military response that led to 15 months of war in Gaza. After months of stalled negotiations, a fragile ceasefire came into effect on Sunday.
The Hamas-controlled health authority on Tuesday put the death toll in the Palestinian territory at 47,107, with 68 bodies recovered from rubble in the coastal strip within 24 hours.
More and more aid trucks are entering Gaza
About 280 trucks delivered additional humanitarian aid and fuel from Egypt to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the third day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Trucks entered Palestinian territory for the first time through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. They are then directed to the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israeli border, where the cargo is inspected and released for distribution within Gaza.
Among the trucks that arrived on Tuesday were 25 carrying fuel, a representative of the Egyptian Red Crescent told dpa.
Since the ceasefire began on Sunday, more than 1,700 aid trucks have crossed from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, according to the representative.
About 4,000 additional trucks are ready to gradually enter the area. For the first time in 270 days, ambulances are also ready to transport injured Palestinians.
The ceasefire not only pauses the fighting and allows for a massive increase in much-needed aid deliveries, it also outlines the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
The first swap took place on Sunday, when three hostages held by Hamas from October 7 were exchanged for 90 Palestinians held captive in Israel.
Another exchange is expected to take place next weekend.
During this first phase of the ceasefire, a total of 1,904 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for 33 of the 94 remaining hostages. Israel believes at least 35 of the hostages are dead.
