Israeli assassins strike again as spy chief seeks ‘forgiveness’

The killing came as the out­going head of Israel’s military intelligence asked for ‘forgiveness’ for the ­October 7 ­Hamas attacks.

Khalil Maqdah, a senior officer of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Israeli has stepped up its campaign of targeted assassinations, with a leading member of Fatah being killed in Lebanon.

The killing came as the out­going head of Israeli military intelligence asked for “forgiveness” for failing to prevent the ­October 7 ­attacks by Hamas.

The Israeli strike that killed Khalil Maqdah, described by Fatah as “one of the leaders” of its armed wing in Lebanon, was launched just hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a tour of the Middle East aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

On Thursday, Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “made clear that we must bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure”.

Fatah, which is based in the ­Israeli-occupied West Bank and rivals the Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas, said Maqdah was killed near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.

Israel accused him of “directing attacks and smuggling weapons” to the West Bank and collaborating with Iranian forces.

His killing marked the first time Israel has targeted a senior Fatah member in more than 10 months of cross-border clashes with ­Lebanese militants, mostly from Hezbollah, during the Gaza war.

Tawfiq Tirawy, a member of Fatah’s central committee, said the “assassination … is further proof that Israel wants to ignite a full-scale war in the region”.

Shortly after the assassination, the head of Israeli military intelligence, Major General ­Aharon ­Haliva, sought “forgiveness” from Israelis for failing to discover Hamas’s plans for October 7.

According to a video released by the Israeli military, General Haliva – the first high-ranking ­official to make a public appeal for forgiveness – said at a ceremony marking his departure that “we did not uphold the sanctity of our oaths”.

October 7 was a “bitter and dark day which I carry in my heart, on my conscience and on my shoulders every day and night since”, he said.

“An apology won’t correct, heal or bring back the beloved ones who paid the heaviest of prices, but it must be said … On my behalf and on behalf of the entire intelligence wing, I ask for forgiveness.”

The military announced in April that General Haliva had asked to be relieved of his duties, citing his “responsibility” for the failure to prevent the attack. His video appeal for forgiveness was issued as the funerals were held for hostages whose bodies were ­recovered this week from Gaza, with some mourners voicing anger that they were not saved.

“In what world must families beg, scream and cry for the return of their loved ones, alive or murdered? Bring them all back,” ­Esther Buchshtab said while standing in front of the grave of her son, Yagev. The Israeli military on Tuesday announced it had retrieved the ­remains of Yagev, 34, and five other hostages from a tunnel in Khan Yunis after a battle with Palestinian militants.

They were among 251 hostages taken on October 7, with 105 still being held, including 34 the military says are dead.

Yagev’s widow, Rimon Kirscht, also spoke during the ceremony in Nirim, standing in front of his ­coffin draped in an Israeli flag.

“I just want to say sorry. You deserved so much better,” she said. “Thank you for teaching me. I am yours. I am here.”

The crowd quickly dispersed to attend the funeral of Avraham Munder, 79, another hostage whose body was recovered on Tuesday, in the nearby Nir Oz ­kibbutz. Nir Oz was the site of one of the worst massacres on October 7 and more than 70 of its residents were taken captive. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and at least two ministers from the current ­government attended the funeral in Nir Oz.

AFP