JAKARTA - Israel's Chief of Intelligence Defense Forces (IDF) Major General Aharon HaIVA said his division's failure to prevent the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, caused him to always imagine it day and night, suffering from the war forever.
Major General Haiva will soon leave office after the Israeli military appoints his successor as chief intelligence, according to the IDF, a move that has been approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and coordinated with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Major General Haiva said he assumed responsibility for the failure that made Israel careless and allowed Hamas to carry out attacks.
"The Directorate of Military Intelligence under my command failed to warn of the terror attack carried out by Hamas," Major General Haiva said on October 17, reported by The Times of Israel April 23.
"We failed on our most important mission, and as the Head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence, I bear full responsibility for the failure," he said.
However, he said at the time he chose to postpone his resignation, as the war was still ongoing in Gaza.
"Now, more than half a year later, along with the start of the (internal) investigation, I propose my resignation," he wrote in a resignation letter published Monday.
His resignation would make Major General Haiva the first senior officer at the IDF to resign as a result of the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
In his resignation letter addressed to Lt. Gen. Halavi, Major General HaIVA wrote "together with authority there is also a heavy responsibility."
"The Intelligence Directorate under my command failed to carry out his duties. I have always brought that dark day with me since then, every day, every night. I will forever bear the suffering of an extraordinary war," he explained in the letter.
Major General Haiva said he supports the establishment of an investigation commission to "be able to thoroughly investigate and know, in-depth, comprehensive and precise all the factors and circumstances that caused the serious events."
"Everything I did while on duty at the IDF was for the sake of the Israeli people and the State of Israel," he added.
It is known that Major General Haiva was on vacation in Eilat on October 7. He reportedly received the latest information at around 3 a.m. the day regarding "certain signs coming from Gaza" about an imminent attack, but reportedly did not participate in consultations at the IDF's highest echelon regarding the indication and was not willing to be reached by telephone.
He was then quoted as saying to the people around him, even if he participated in the consultation, he would conclude Hamas was conducting training and handling the matter could wait until the morning.
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"That won't change the final result at all," he regretted.
Major General Haiva has decided to resign from his post as head of Israeli intelligence Defense Forces (IDF), after assessing that the division he leads failed to carry out his duties so Hamas was able to launch attacks on the country's territory, saying it always haunts him, the IDF said Monday.
The IDF in a statement said Lieutenant General Halevi thanked the intelligence officer "for his 38 years of service at the IDF, in which he made a significant contribution to the security of the State of Israel, both as a combat soldier and commander."
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