Israeli military chief hints at stepping down after completion of Oct. 7 attack probe

JERUSALEM

The Israeli Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, has announced that he may resign once the investigation into the military's failure to respond to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack is completed.

"At the end of the investigations, we will also make personal decisions, and leaders will take responsibility, starting with me and down the chain of command," the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation on Friday quoted Halevi's internal message to Israeli soldiers.

Unlike in the past, Halevi said the Israeli army chose to conduct harsh debriefing sessions regarding the Oct. 7 attack while the war was still ongoing, a departure from the traditional practice of conducting such investigations only after the end of conflicts.

In March, Halevi announced that the Israeli military had launched an inquiry into the failures in dealing with the Oct. 7 attack.

While Halevi did not provide a specific timeline for when the investigation would be concluded, the focus has increasingly been on the military's preparedness and response to the attack.

Several Israeli military, security, and political leaders have accepted personal responsibility for the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently refused to accept personal responsibility for the mishap.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing over 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,000.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi