The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Monday, April 22, 2024, that it had accepted Aharon Haliva's resignation and thanked him for his service.
'In coordination with the Chief of the General Staff, the Head of the Intelligence Directorate, MG Aharon Haliva, has requested to end his position, following his leadership responsibility as the Head of the Intelligence Directorate for the events of October 7,' Israeli military said in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).
'The Chief of the General Staff thanked Major General Aharon Haliva for his 38 years of service in the IDF, during which he made significant contributions to the security of the State of Israel as both a combat soldier and commander.'
Haliva becomes the first senior Israeli figure to resign over Hamas' attack.
The resignation comes months after Haliva regretted not stopping the attack, which exposed the vulnerabilities of Israel's border security system, long believed to be one of the most advanced and indomitable in the world. More than 300 Israeli soldiers are reported to have died in the attack.
In the morning attack, Hamas militants were able to breach Israel's complex border security systems and penetrate the fence into surrounding towns, where they killed civilians in neighboring communities.
Hamas said the attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, threats to the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plight of Palestinian refugees and prisoners.
Haliva's resignation also comes hot on the heels of Iran's attack on Israel territory, which the country attributed to an Israeli raid on the Iranian consulate in Syria three weeks ago.
Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones with Israel saying 99 percent of the projectiles were intercepted.
Israel responded to the Iran's attack on Friday amid restraint calls from the international community. Media reports indicate that Israel had planned a much more extensive counterstrike but diplomatic pressure from foreign allies forced it to scale it down.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
