The head of Israel's military intelligence directorate has resigned, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva announced his resignation after he failed to prevent Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history, the military said.
"The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever," Haliva wrote in his resignation letter, according to a translation by the Associated Press.
Haliva is the first senior figure to step down after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel nearly six and a half months ago and rampaged through Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and taking roughly 250 hostages back into Gaza.
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The decision to resign was made with the approval of Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. The military chief of staff accepted Haliva’s request to resign and thanked him for his 38 years of service, the IDF said.
Haliva’s resignation could set the stage for additional fallout from Israel's top security brass over Hamas' attack, which triggered a war in Gaza between the Jewish state and Hamas. The war will cross its 200th day this week.
Shortly after the war was initiated, Haliva said publicly that he shouldered blame as the head of the military department for not preventing the assault.
Other military and security leaders are also reportedly expected to resign in response to intelligence failures that did not catch the impending Oct. 7 attack.
The timing of these resignations, however, has been unclear as Israel remains in a war with Hamas, while battling the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria.
Tensions in the region remain high after Israel traded direct attacks with Iran last week, leading some military experts to say Israeli resignations are irresponsible while the military is fighting on multiple fronts, according to the Associated Press.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not among those expected to resign and has indicated that he will not step down, despite growing protests.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
