Israeli military sacks several generals over October 7 attack
Israel’s top brass suffers a historic purge as three generals lose their jobs over the catastrophic intelligence failure that enabled Hamas’s deadliest attack on October 7, 2023.
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 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, Mr 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.
Mr 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.
Earlier, a report by a committee of experts appointed by the military chief Zamir concluded that there had been a “longstanding 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.
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HAMAS ‘VIOLATING THE CEASEFIRE DAILY’
Inside Gaza on Monday, Israel’s military said its troops shot three militants who had crossed the so-called Yellow Line, an area its troops retreated to in accordance with a ceasefire agreement reached last month.
The military said two of the individuals killed had approached troops near the southern city of Khan Younis, where the territory’s civil defence agency said two Palestinians had been killed by a drone strike.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis also confirmed receiving two bodies and three injured Palestinians, including one in critical condition.
Mahmud Bassal, the spokesman for the civil defence, said that one other person was killed by tank fire in Gaza City.
Shifa hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya confirmed receiving the body, as well as several people injured during the incident.
Hamas regularly accuses Israel of shifting the Yellow Line further into the territory it controls, calling it a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Israel is threatening to “finish the job” in Gaza amid increasing attacks by Hamas and what it calls an unwillingness by foreign countries to send troops to disarm the terror group.
“We see Hamas increasing their attacks on us in Gaza and constantly pushing the boundary,” an Israeli official told The Telegraph.
“It’s unacceptable for us to continue like this. If Hamas doesn’t stop violating the ceasefire daily, Israel will have to go in and finish the job. It’s looking increasingly like that.”
The remarks came a week after Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which proposes a taskforce that would disarm the terror group, was backed by the United Nations Security Council.
The Israeli official told The Telegraph it would be “great” if foreign troops were deployed to Gaza soon to enforce the disarmament of Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out letting Turkish troops into Gaza due to their links to Hamas.
HEZBOLLAH LEADER KILLED IN STRIKE
Hezbollah confirmed that senior leader Haytham Ali Tabtabai was killed in Israel’s strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, local time.
In a statement, the group confirmed the killing of “the great commander” Tabtabai in “a treacherous Israeli attack on the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs of Beirut”, without specifying his position within the group.
Tabtabai is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the start of a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending over a year of hostilities between the two.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike killed five people and wounded 28.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered the attack — the latest against targets in Lebanon despite a year-long ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“In the heart of Beirut, the IDF (Israeli military) attacked the Hezbollah chief of staff, who had been leading the terrorist organisation’s build-up and rearmament,” the premier’s office said in a statement.
“Israel is determined to act to achieve its objectives everywhere and at all times.” Separately, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off,” warning that Israel would “continue the policy of maximum enforcement”.
Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati told reporters Sunday’s attack “crosses a new red line”.
“The targeting was clearly aimed at a key … figure in the resistance, and the results are unknown,” he added in front of the strike location, without disclosing the person’s identity.
Israel has carried out regular strikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, saying it is striking members of the group or its infrastructure in the country’s south and east.
“Hezbollah will not be allowed to rearm and operate inside of Lebanon and we expect Lebanon to hold Hezbollah’s feet to the fire on this,” Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian reiterated after Sunday’s strike.
“Hezbollah’s terrorist activities constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and the IDF will continue to operate to remove any threats to the citizens of Israel,” she told reporters.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the international community to intervene firmly to stop Israeli attacks on the country.
Beirut “reiterates its call to the international community to assume its responsibility and intervene firmly and seriously to stop the attacks on Lebanon and its people”, he said in a statement
‘EVERYTHING NECESSARY’ TO DEFEAT HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH: NETANYAHU
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel would do “everything necessary” to stop Hezbollah from regrouping in Lebanon and Hamas from doing the same in Gaza.
Over the past week Israel has hit multiple targets in neighbouring Lebanon, with the Israeli military saying on Saturday it had struck Hezbollah launchers and military sites.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes on Saturday, local time, as Hamas and Israel again traded allegations of violating the fragile ceasefire in place since October 10.
“We are continuing to strike terrorism on several fronts,” Mr Netanyahu said as he opened a cabinet meeting on Sunday, local time.
“This weekend, the IDF (Israeli military) struck in Lebanon, and we will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing its threat capability against us.
“This is also what we are doing in the Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire, Hamas has not stopped violating it, and we are acting accordingly.”
Saturday was one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect, after two years of war.
The Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” had crossed the so-called yellow line - the boundary within the Gaza Strip that Israeli forces have withdrawn behind - and fired at Israeli soldiers.
In response, the military then “began striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip”, it said.
Mr Netanyahu claimed Sunday that Hamas had made “several attempts” to infiltrate beyond the yellow line to “try to harm our soldiers”.
“We have thwarted this with great force and also retaliated and exacted a very heavy price. That includes many terrorists we eliminated,” he added.
Mr Netanyahu said it was an “absolute lie” that Israel needed outside approval before taking action.
“We decide independently of any factor, and that is how it should be. Israel is responsible for its own security,” he said.
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet domestic security agency claimed that Saturday’s strikes on Gaza “eliminated the head of supply and equipment in Hamas’s production headquarters”.
Alaa Haddadeh “operated to transfer weapons from Hamas’s headquarters to battalion and field commanders”, a joint statement said.
‘READY TO FIGHT’: HAMAS ISSUES SHOCK WARNING
Hamas has warned US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that the Gaza ceasefire is “over” and they are “ready to fight,” sources told Saudi state-owned media Al Arabiya, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The terror group’s about-face comes after an Israeli strike on Gaza took out Hamas’ chief of weapons supply, Alaa Hadidi, which it slammed as a violation of the US-backed ceasefire.
The IDF said the strike was in retaliation to a Hamas operative crossing into the humanitarian relief zone and opening fire on Israeli troops.
It shared a video of the alleged incident on X, showing a gunman dressed in all black, who Israeli officials say crossed the military withdrawal line in a vehicle “exploiting” the humanitarian route — before getting out of the vehicle and firing a long-range gun.
The gunman was shot by IDF troops and collapsed a few seconds later.
In total five Hamas operatives were eliminated in three different strikes in Rafah and Northern Gaza, the IDF said.
Another leader reportedly killed was Abu Abdullah Al-Hudaydi, operations staff commander of Hamas’ military wing, according to Saudi’s Al Arabiya.
The White House is said to have backed the Israeli strikes, the Times of Israel is reporting, citing US officials who said the terror group’s leaders are unable to rein in their operatives on the ground in Gaza.
— with AFP, New York Post
Originally published as Israeli military sacks several generals over October 7 attack
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