JERUSALEM: Israel’s military announced the dismissal of three generals and disciplinary actions against several other senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 assault by Hamas, the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
The move comes two weeks after Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir called for a “systemic investigation” into the failures that led to onslaught, even as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry despite public pressure.
The list of generals fired included three divisional commanders, one of whom was then serving as the military intelligence chief.
A military statement released Sunday said they bore personal responsibility for the armed forces’ failure to prevent the attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
The firing comes after all three had already resigned from their posts, including the former head of the southern command General Yaron Finkelman.
Disciplinary actions were also announced against the head of the navy and air force along with moves against four other generals and several senior officers.
It remains to be seen how or if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might also be pinned with blame for having a role in the inability to prevent the Hamas onslaught.
For the past two years, Netanyahu has repeatedly said that the failures that lead to the October 7 attacks should be addressed after the war in Gaza ended.
According to polls, a large number of Israelis across the political spectrum support the establishment of an inquiry to determine who is responsible for the authorities’ failure to prevent the attack.
Netanyahu’s government has so far refused to form such a commission.
Hamas’s attack on southern Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people and sparked a devastating two-year war in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 69,756 people, according to figures from the health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
- Military investigation -
Earlier this month, a report by a committee of experts appointed by the military chief Zamir was published, marking the conclusion of the army’s internal investigations into the October 7 attacks.
The report concluded that there had been a “long-standing systemic and organisational failure” within the military apparatus.
The investigation also noted the military’s “intelligence failure” over its “inability to raise the alarm” over the attacks — even though the army had “exceptional, high-quality information.”
It also deplored “deficient decision-making processes and force deployment during the night of October 7, 2023” and pointed to failures across the military’s chain of command.
Israel’s Minister of Defence Israel Katz said Monday that he had tasked the defence establishment’s comptroller Yair Wolansky with examining the report to determine if further investigations were needed.
Following the announcement, Israeli media was rife with speculation that the comments marked the latest point of friction between Zamir and Katz, who have aired disagreements in the past over how to prosecute the war against Hamas.
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