Israel Defense Forces chief of staff resigns

More than a year and three months after the October 7 massacre, Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), resigned Tuesday from his position, which he will leave on March 6.

Halevi said he made the decision to fulfill his promise to take responsibility for what happened on Oct. 7, 2023, when members of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping 250.

In a speech later in the day, Halevi called for a state investigation into all matters related to Israel's security.

He also suggested that other entities investigate what happened on October 7, 2023, including the performance of the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular.

Halevi highlighted the IDF's achievements

Halevi also stressed that despite the serious mistakes made on October 7, Israel had a great number of successes in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF chief of staff claimed that Israeli forces succeeded in eliminating nearly 20,000 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza and some 4,000 Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

Halevi added that the IDF also managed to successfully control terrorist activities in the West Bank.

However, he said Israel has yet to remove Hamas from power in Gaza and bring the 94 hostages, who are still being held by the terrorist group, back home.

The commander of the IDF's Southern Command also announced his resignation

Yaron Finkelman, commander of the IDF Southern Command, also announced his resignation in a letter addressed to Halevi.

"Commander, by order of my conscience and the values that guide me, I have decided to end my tenure as commander of the Southern Command and my service in the IDF. On October 7, I failed in the defense of the western Negev (southern region of Israel) and its beloved and brave inhabitants. This failure will remain with me for life," said Finkelman.