Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed his decision to resign in March 2025. He accepted the military’s failure to prevent the October 7 attack and resigned.
Halevi said he has informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of his intention to step down on March 6.
Halevi’s resignation will cut his term short by approximately 10 months, ending his tenure after two years and two months instead of the usual three years.
In his resignation letter, released by the Israeli Army, Lieutenant General Halevi said, “I am stepping down due to my acknowledgment of responsibility for the military’s failure on October 7.” He also admitted that the objectives of the Gaza war “have not all been achieved.”
Shortly after Halevi’s announcement, Major General Yaron Finkelman, head of Israel’s Southern Command overseeing Gaza, also tendered his resignation.
“On October 7, 2023, I failed to defend the western Negev. This failure will remain engraved in my memory for the rest of my life,” Finkelman stated in his resignation letter.
The resignations come amid a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal that began on January 19, temporarily halting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Following these developments, former Defense Minister and Yisrael Beiteinu Party leader Avigdor Lieberman called for the entire Israeli government to resign. Opposition leader Yair Lapid echoed the sentiment on social media, writing, “Respect to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and now the Prime Minister and his entire disastrous government must take responsibility and resign.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to accept responsibility for the October 7 attack or heed opposition calls for early elections, maintaining his position since his right-wing government came to power in December 2022.
Several high-ranking officials, including Aharon Haliva, head of the Israeli Army Intelligence Directorate, have already resigned over failures related to the October 7 events.
