The announcement of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s resignation as Israel’s military chief, effective early March, comes as a significant turning point in an already tumultuous chapter for Israel. General Halevi, Israel’s top military leader, chose to take on the weight of responsibility for the failures leading up to and during the devastating Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023—a tragic day that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 others taken hostage. In doing so, he becomes the highest-ranking leader to step down amidst growing demands for accountability in Israel.
In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, General Halevi openly acknowledged his role in the military’s inability to protect Israeli citizens. “My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day, every hour, and will for the rest of my life,” he wrote. His words reflect the depth of remorse tethered to his leadership during this dark moment in Israel’s history.
### A Heavy Toll and Public Demands for Accountability
General Halevi’s resignation had an air of inevitability. The attacks of October 7 were not just a tragic failure but also a source of national grief and shame, intensifying demands for accountability. This expectation for resignations among Israel’s leadership has lingered ever since Hamas executed its brutal, large-scale assault—the deadliest in years. Yet, the fallout has seen minimal action. While a few officials have stepped down, no figure until Halevi has ranked quite as high in the hierarchy of leadership.
Notably, Prime Minister Netanyahu, a central figure in the nation’s governance during this period, has resisted calls to resign or take full responsibility. Instead, he has insisted that difficult questions about the events leading up to and during the attack will have to wait until after the ongoing war. This measured response has not shielded him from criticism, and the tension between Netanyahu and General Halevi reportedly only grew in the aftermath of the attacks.
### The Cease-fire and the “Right Time” to Exit
The timing of General Halevi’s announcement is equally significant. It came just two days after Israel and Hamas brokered a truce as part of a 42-day cease-fire and hostage exchange deal—the first meaningful pause in hostilities since the attacks. The agreement secured the release of three Israeli hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinians—mostly women and minors—imprisoned in Israel. For General Halevi, this moment of restrained calm offered a window to step aside. According to him, the conditions were now “ripe,” with hostages being returned and the military’s standing partially restored.
Nonetheless, Halevi was transparent in admitting that Israel’s larger war goals—namely, the complete destruction of Hamas and the full return of remaining hostages—remain unmet. While some hostages were reunited with their families and certain military achievements buoyed morale, Hamas has regained control over much of Gaza, exposing the unfinished nature of the broader mission.
This underscores the fragility of the cease-fire, with high-ranking officials like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticizing the move. Smotrich, a hard-line figure in Netanyahu’s government, described Halevi’s strategy in Gaza as insufficiently aggressive and called his resignation an opportunity to reshape military leadership with a more hawkish stance. “The coming period will be marked by a change in senior military command as part of preparations to resume the war, and this time, God willing, until complete victory,” Smotrich declared, signaling a hard reset in the Israeli government’s approach to the conflict.
### Halevi’s Leadership and a Complex Legacy
Over his 15-month tenure as Israel’s chief of staff, General Halevi led a military grappling with simultaneous challenges. These included not just the war in Gaza but also other flashpoints such as ground invasions in Lebanon, military operations in Syria, and strikes within Iran. Under his leadership, Israel claims to have decimated key members of Hamas and Hezbollah’s command structures, eliminating nearly 20,000 Hamas operatives in the process. In a televised statement accompanying his resignation, Halevi proudly stated: “The Middle East has changed. The map of threats has transformed entirely.”
Yet, his successes are tempered by glaring shortcomings. The October 7 attack represented a catastrophic failure in intelligence, preparation, and response, unraveling years of work to fortify Israel’s security stance. It is this event that will likely overshadow his broader legacy, even as some of his achievements bolster Israel’s defensive capabilities in other theaters.
General Halevi’s departure also arrives amid a wave of resignations within Israel’s military leadership. Aharon Haliva, the chief of military intelligence, and the head of the Gaza brigade both resigned earlier in 2024. Yaron Finkelman, the commander responsible for Israel’s southern front, announced his intentions to step down shortly after Halevi’s public statement. Collectively, these resignations underscore the broader reckoning taking place within Israel’s military and political systems.
### Political Undercurrents and Blame-Shifting
The strained working dynamic between General Halevi and Netanyahu hints at a deeper divide. Appointed by Netanyahu’s centrist opposition in 2022, Halevi often found himself misaligned with the prime minister and his conservative allies. Netanyahu, at times, appeared to shift blame for the October 7 attacks towards the military establishment, further straining any potential rapport between the two.
With Halevi stepping down, figures within Netanyahu’s camp may now seize the chance to install a military chief more ideologically aligned with their policies. This could signal a turning point for Israeli strategy. While Halevi advocated for internal critiques and even suggested the necessity of an independent inquiry into October 7’s failures, Netanyahu has so far avoided launching any such investigation. Meanwhile, hard-liners within the government, like Smotrich, seem poised to push for even more aggressive tactics in Gaza and beyond.
### The Larger Context: Israel’s Shaken Identity
The broader picture reflects a nation grappling not just with the aftermath of a national tragedy but also with the fissures within its leadership and society. While Halevi prepares to oversee a series of internal military inquiries into October 7 before his exit, critics argue that these efforts are too little, too late. Without an independent, transparent investigation, public trust in the system is likely to remain frayed.
Halevi’s resignation is, in many ways, both personal and political. His statement about living with the burden of failure resonates with a populace mourning the dead while questioning the institutions meant to protect them. Simultaneously, his departure spotlights the political maneuvering within Netanyahu’s government, revealing the inevitable consequences of such a monumental crisis for Israel’s leadership.
As Halevi himself put it, the Middle East has changed. But so has Israel. The loss and trauma inflicted by the Hamas attacks have left indelible scars, while the shadow of unresolved hostilities looms large. Halevi may hope that his resignation serves as a step toward healing and progress, but for many, his departure raises further questions about Israel’s direction and the leadership capable of taking it there.
In the end, Halevi’s resignation is not merely a personal decision but a powerful symbol of accountability—whether fully embraced or politicized—as Israel continues its fraught path forward.
