Dismissal of 3 senior Israeli officers due to “October 7” and imposition of disciplinary penalties on others

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced the dismissal of a number of senior officers and the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on a number of others against the backdrop of the failure to prevent the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by the Hamas movement.

Among the officers included in the decision, according to a statement issued on Sunday evening by the army, are the head of the Military Intelligence Division, Aharon Halifa, the commander of the Southern Region, Yaron Fenlkman, and the head of the Operations Division, Udi Basiuk.

Halifa was the first officer to submit his resignation in the year 2024, as he bore responsibility for the failure. Fenlkman also resigned for the same reason. As for Basiuq, he retired after the war launched by Israel against Iran last June, which lasted 12 days.

But Zamir’s decision came to confirm that punitive measures had been taken against them, and to formalize the complete termination of their duties in the army.

According to the army statement, the three commanders bear personally responsibility for the failure of the military institution to anticipate and respond to the attack.

These measures taken by the Chief of Staff came after the publication of a report by the expert committee that he assigned to investigate, which concluded the investigation phase within the army regarding the failures on October 7, 2023.

The report concluded that there was a “profound systematic and organizational failure” within the military institution, and pointed above all to a “defect in vision and appreciation” represented in “the gap between the strategic and operational reality, and the perception within the military institution of the reality related to the Gaza Strip and the Hamas movement.”

The report also revealed an “intelligence failure” represented by the “inability to raise the alarm” despite the army’s possession of “exceptional and qualitative” information.

In addition to the three dismissed officers, the army also announced the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on Air Force Commander Tomer Bar and Navy Commander David Saar.
The sanctions also affected four generals and four other senior officers.