FACTBOX – 7 most prominent resignations from Israeli army since Oct. 7

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – A wave of high-profile military and security resignations has shaken the Israeli army since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, with several senior officers stepping down, citing intelligence failure to predict the attack and personal reasons.

Anadolu compiled a list of seven prominent resignations from Israel's army ranks over the last 11 months.

• Feb. 2, 2024

The head of the Military Intelligence Directorate's Research Division, Brigadier General Amit Saar, quits “due to personal reasons, unrelated to the failure of the unit to sound the alarm about the Oct. 7 attack, but over illness,” according to Israeli media.

• April 22, 2024

The head of the Israeli army's Military Intelligence Directorate, Major General Aharon Haliva, resigns over his failure to predict the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas.

• June 6, 2024

The commander of the Israeli army’s Gaza Division, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, announces his resignation due to his failure to protect Israeli military bases and settlements during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

• July 11, 2024

The head of the Shin Bet security agency’s Southern District steps down, citing his department’s failure to avert Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

• Aug. 29, 2024

An intelligence officer in the Gaza division informs his commanders that he intends to resign due to the intelligence failure on Oct. 7.

• Sept. 1, 2024

The commander of Unit 8200, the Israeli army’s largest collection unit, Brigadier General Yossi Shariel, intends to announce his resignation in the coming weeks in response to criticism leveled at him regarding the intelligence failures on Oct. 7.

• Sept. 3, 2024

Chief of the Israeli army’s Ground Forces, Tamir Yadai, resigns for “personal reasons” after he served three years in his position. According to Israel’s Army Radio, he is expected to submit his candidacy for “significant positions” within the army.

The quits extended beyond the army to the Israeli Cabinet, which witnessed the resignations of the most prominent non-military officials.

On June 6, Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and War Cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot stepped down from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency unity government.

Gantz and Eisenkot, both members of the National Unity party, joined Netanyahu’s government following the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted, leading to the formation of the emergency government, which then established the War Cabinet.

These resignations come as Israel continued its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,800 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 94,200 others since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year.

The Israeli army is also engaged in daily exchanges of cross-border attacks with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.