Israel’s top general resigned after the October 7 attack, citing security and intelligence failures
Israel’s top general resigned on Tuesday over security and intelligence failures following a surprise attack by Hamas that sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least six people were killed and 35 wounded after Israel launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank city on Tuesday.
In the year On October 7, 2023, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevy resigned amid a breakdown in security as thousands of Hamas-led militants launched land, sea, and air strikes on southern Israel, attacking military bases and military bases. Nearby communities for hours.
About 1,200 people, including civilians, were killed in the attack, while another 250 were kidnapped. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with local health officials saying more than half of the dead were women and children, but did not say how many of the dead were combatants.
In his resignation letter, Halevi said the soldiers under his command had “failed in their mission to defend the state of Israel.” Halevi, who begins what is expected to be a three-year term in January 2023, said his resignation will take effect on March 6.
Israel earlier announced a “major and extensive military operation” against Palestinian militants in Jenin. Even before Hamas ignited the Gaza War on October 7, 2023, the city has seen repeated Israeli incursions and armed conflicts in recent years.
The latest operation comes just days after a tenuous cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza was reached in exchange for the release of 33 militants in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians detained by Israel, lasting six weeks. Three hostages and 90 prisoners were freed on Sunday, when the ceasefire came into effect.
In the year In the 1967 Middle East War, Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want an independent state that includes all three territories.
Israeli occupation, attacks on the West Bank
The cease-fire does not apply to the West Bank, which has seen the worst violence since the war began. Israeli soldiers carry out counterattacks on a daily basis, often resulting in gun battles.
Attacks by Jewish extremists on Palestinians have been on the rise – including overnight attacks in two Palestinian villages on Monday – as have Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
Hamas condemned the Israeli attack on Jenin and called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to step up their own attacks.
The small and radical Islamic Jihad militant group also condemned the attack, saying it showed Israel’s failure to achieve its goals in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “desperate attempt” to save his leadership coalition.
Netanyahu has faced criticism from his right-wing allies for calling for a cease-fire that would allow Israeli troops to withdraw from Gaza and free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The cease-fire agreement shows that Hamas is firmly in control of the territory as it returns to the streets after a 15-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction.
One of his former allies, Itamar Ben-Givir, resigned on the day the ceasefire took effect, weakening the coalition but still leaving Netanyahu with a parliamentary majority.
Another far-right leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to withdraw if Israel does not resume the war after the first ceasefire expires in six weeks.
