Israel’s military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, has said he will resign in March over the failure to prevent Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
A conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, and up to 250 others taken hostage to Gaza. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
In a letter to Israel’s prime minister and defence minister released by the military, Lt. Gen. Halevi, who has commanded the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) throughout 15 months of war in Gaza said: “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 noted his and the military’s recent successes, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Assad regime in Syria, against Iran, and in defeating Hamas’s 24 battalions as well as forcing Hamas into the hostage exchange deal that started this week.
Citing the agreement with Hamas, General Halevi said the timing was “now ripe” for him to leave, since hostages had begun to come home. He will step down after two years and two months in office, about 10 months earlier than the standard three-year term.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had given Halevi a deadline of January 30 to complete internal military probes into the failure to prevent Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack.
More resignations are anticipated in the coming weeks. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, resigned in 2024, as did the head of the Israeli military’s Gaza brigade. Shortly after General Halevi’s announcement, another general — Yaron Finkelman, head of the military’s southern command — said he, too, would resign, although he did not give a date.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen outlined Europe’s position ahead of Mon...
The Bermuda Triangle, known for mysterious disappearances, has long sparked intrigue. But is it really a place of danger, or just a myth? In this expl...
Wildfires raging across Spain have scorched more than 115,000 hectares (about 284,000 acres), killed at least three people and forced thousands to eva...
Top European leaders will travel to Washington on Monday to join U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in critical talks aim...
France, Germany and Britain will meet on Sunday to help shape Ukraine’s position before President Zelenskyy holds high-stakes talks with Donald Trum...
South Sudan and Israel have held talks on a plan to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the African nation, three sources told Reuters, though Palestinian leaders have called the idea unacceptable.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) urged the UK government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state after Israel’s far-right finance minister announced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.
Former Israeli Air Force pilots and activists protested in Tel Aviv yesterday (12 August), demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. In a separate rally, demonstrators targeted an aid group they accuse of worsening Gaza’s hunger crisis.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot.” He made the comment on Wednesday (August 13) as Wellington considers whether to recognise Palestinian state.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
Media accreditation is now open for COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to take place in Belém, Brazil in 2025.
Since January, more than 1.7 million Afghan citizens have returned from Iran and Pakistan, the United Nations said on Friday, warning of mounting humanitarian pressures.
The Washington Agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has sparked a mix of hope, doubt, and cautious realism among Armenians.
South Sudan and Israel have held talks on a plan to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the African nation, three sources told Reuters, though Palestinian leaders have called the idea unacceptable.
Kyrgyzstan’s economy expanded by 11.5 percent in the first seven months of 2025, reaching 9.9 billion U.S. dollars, official data shows.
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is set to become a meeting point for musicians from across the Asian continent as it prepares to host the first-ever Silk Way Star vocal competition this August. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Kazmedia Center.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment