Israel’s top general resigns over Oct. 7 failures, adding to pressure on Netanyahu

Herzi Halevi speaks during his transition ceremony with the prime minister, defence minister and the outgoing chief, in Jerusalem, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo, Pool)

JERUSALEM — Israel’s top general resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for security failures tied to Hamas' surprise attack that triggered the war in Gaza and adding to pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has delayed any public inquiry that could potentially implicate his leadership.

While a fragile new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip held, Israel launched a large operation in the occupied West Bank, killing at least nine people and injuring 40, Palestinian officials said.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli figure to resign over the ecurity and intelligence breakdown on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led militants carried out a land, sea and air assault into southern Israel, rampaging through army bases and nearby communities.

The attack -- the single deadliest on Israel in its history -- killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the militants abducted another 250. More than 90 captives are still in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead.

Halevi’s resignation came days into the ceasefire with Hamas that could lead to an end to the 15-month war and the return of remaining captives. Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of Israel’s Southern Command, which oversees operations in Gaza, also resigned.

Their resignations will likely add to calls for a public inquiry into the Oct. 7 failures, something Netanyahu has said must wait until the war is over.

Halevi had appeared to be at odds with Israel’s new defence minister, Israel Katz, over the direction of the war. He said Israel had accomplished most of its goals, while Katz echoed Netanyahu’s vow to keep fighting until “total victory” over Hamas. Katz replaced the popular Yoav Gallant, who Netanyahu dismissed in a surprise announcement in November after growing disagreements over the war.

Halevi’s resignation letter said the military, under his command, had “failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel” and noted that the military’s investigations into those failures were “currently in their final stages.” He said his resignation would go into effect March 6.

Another major operation in the West Bank

The ceasefire that started Sunday does not apply to the West Bank, where Israel announced a “significant and broad military operation” against Palestinian militants in Jenin, without details. The city has seen repeated Israeli incursions and gunbattles with militants in recent years.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek an independent state encompassing all three territories.

The West Bank has seen a surge of violence during the war in Gaza. Israeli troops have carried out near-daily raids that often ignite gunbattles. There has also been a rise in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists -- including a rampage in two Palestinian villages overnight Monday -- and Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Hamas condemned the Israeli operation in Jenin, calling on Palestinians in the West Bank to step up attacks. The smaller and more radical Islamic Jihad militant group called it a “desperate attempt” by Netanyahu to save his governing coalition.

Netanyahu faces domestic criticism over ceasefire

In addition to pressure over the military resignations, Netanyahu faces criticism from far-right allies over the ceasefire. The deal requires Israeli troops to pull back from populated areas in Gaza and envisions the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including militants convicted of involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis.

The ceasefire’s first phase is to last for six weeks, with 33 hostages gradually released. Three hostages and 90 prisoners were released on Sunday, when it took effect. The next release is Saturday. Talks on the far more difficult second phase begin in two weeks.

Hamas has already returned to the streets, showing that it remains in control of the territory despite the war killing tens of thousands of Palestinians -- including some Hamas leaders -- and causing widespread devastation.

One of Netanyahu’s erstwhile partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir, quit the government the day the ceasefire went into effect, weakening the coalition but still leaving Netanyahu with a parliamentary majority. Another, far-right leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to leave if Israel does not resume the war after the ceasefire’s first phase.

Inside Gaza

With the calm of the ceasefire, emergency responders looked through rubble for bodies they had been unable to reach before.

“We retrieved 120 decomposed bodies over the past two days,” civil defence worker Haitham Hams told The Associated Press in the southern city of Rafah, as colleagues unearthed a thigh bone and a pair of pants.

Israel’s military campaign has killed over 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities but do not say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said 72 bodies had been taken to hospitals in the past 24 hours, almost all of them recovered from attacks before the ceasefire. An unknown number of bodies remain unreachable because they are in northern Gaza, where access remains restricted, or in buffer zones where Israeli forces are.

Over 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the second day of the ceasefire Monday, the United Nations said -- significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal -- in a rush to supply food, medicines and other needs it has described as “staggering” for the population of over 2 million people.

“Most importantly, we want things that will warm us in winter,” one of the many displaced Palestinians, Mounir Abu Seiam, said Tuesday as people gathered in the southern city of Khan Younis to receive food.

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Tufaha reported from Jenin, West Bank. Associated Press writer Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed to this report.