Israel’s top general resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for security failures linked to the surprise Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza and increasing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has delayed any public inquiry which could potentially involve its leaders.
As a fragile new ceasefire was in effect in the Gaza Strip, Israel launched a massive operation in the occupied West Bank, killing at least eight people, Palestinian officials said.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the highest-ranking Israeli figure to resign following the collapse of security on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led militants carried out a land, sea and air attack on southern Israel. Israel, devastating military bases and neighboring communities for hours.
The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped another 250. More than 90 captives remain held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israeli security forces attacked the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, killing at least eight Palestinians in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “large-scale and significant military operation.”
The ensuing Israeli military campaign killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children account for more than half of the deaths, but do not specify how many of the dead were fighters.
In his resignation letter, Halevi said the army, under his command, had “failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel.” Halevi, who began what was to be a three-year term in January 2023, said his resignation would take effect on March 6.
“Important” military operation in Jenin
Israel had earlier announced a “large-scale and significant military operation” against Palestinian militants in Jenin. The city has been the scene of repeated Israeli incursions and armed clashes with militants in recent years, even before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 sparked the Gaza war.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 35 people were injured in the operation. It does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count.
The latest operation comes just days after a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, expected to last six weeks and see 33 militant hostages freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Three hostages and 90 prisoners were released on Sunday, when the ceasefire came into effect.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek an independent state encompassing the three territories.
The ceasefire does not apply to the West Bank, which has seen an upsurge in violence since the start of the war. Israeli troops have carried out almost daily raids that often trigger exchanges of fire.
Increased attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank
There has also been an increase in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists – including carnage in two Palestinian villages on Monday night – as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
Hamas condemned the Israeli operation in Jenin, calling on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to step up their own attacks.
The smaller and more radical Islamic Jihad militant group also condemned the operation, saying it reflected Israel’s “failure to achieve its goals in Gaza.” It is also a “desperate attempt” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save his governing coalition.
Netanyahu has been criticized by his far-right allies over the ceasefire, which required Israeli troops to withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and envisaged the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including activists convicted of involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis.
The ceasefire has already seen Hamas return to the streets, demonstrating that it retains firm control over territory despite 15 months of war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread damage.
One of his former partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir, left the government the day the ceasefire took effect, weakening the coalition while leaving Netanyahu with a parliamentary majority.
Another far-right leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to flee if Israel does not resume war after the first phase of the ceasefire ends in six weeks.
