Head Of IDF Resigns Over Oct. 7 Failures As Opposition Leaders Call On Netanyahu To Step Down

The head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has resigned and will leave his post on March 6.

Herzi HaleviPhotographer: Amir Cohen/AFP/Getty Images

Halevi said in a statement that he’s leaving after „recognizing my responsibility for the failure of the IDF on October 7, and at the point in time in which the IDF has recorded significant achievements, and is in the process of implementing an agreement to release hostages,” according to the Times of Israel.

„I will transfer command of the IDF in a high-quality and thorough manner to my replacement,” he added.

Meanwhile, the head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, is following Halevi’s lead, and says he too plans to resign from the military over his responsibility for the IDF’s failures leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

„Following my conscience and the values that guide me, I have decided to conclude my tenure as Commander of the Southern Command and my service in the IDF,” Finkelman wrote in a letter to Halevi.

„On October 7, I failed in my duty to protect the Western Negev and its beloved, heroic residents.”

Following the resignations, the head of the Knesset’s opposition parties, Yair Lapid, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow their lead and resign.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid attends a Knesset committee meeting on January 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

„I salute…Herzi Halevi. Now let the prime minister and his entire disastrous government take responsibility and resign,” Lapid posted on X.

Another opposition leader, Yisrael Beytenu, said „After the resignation of the [IDF] chief of staff, I call on the prime minister and the other members of the cabinet to take responsibility and follow him home.„