Israel's military intelligence chief has resigned over his failure to stop the October 7 Hamas attack.
The Israeli military announced on Monday the resignation of Major General Aharon Hariba. He is the first senior Israeli official to take responsibility for failing to stop the attack, as the government seeks to keep its focus on the ongoing war in Gaza.
Hariba, who served in the military for 38 years, reportedly took responsibility for failing to stop the attack in his resignation letter. The attack left more than 1,100 people dead and approximately 240 captured.
“Major General Aharon Hariba, in coordination with the Chief of Staff, accepted leadership responsibility as Director General of Intelligence for the events of October 7 and requested that he be relieved of his post,” the military said in a statement.
A military statement said that with the approval of Defense Minister Yoav Galant, it was decided that Hariba would “resign his post and retire” from the military “as soon as a successor has been appointed in an orderly and professional process”. .
The Hamas attack caught Israel and its security services by surprise.
In response, Israel launched a war in Gaza that killed more than 34,000 people, according to Gaza health officials.
Hariba is the first government official or politician to take responsibility for security failures.
“The Intelligence Bureau under my command did not carry out the mission entrusted to us. I have carried that dark day with me every day and night ever since. I will forever carry the terrible pain of war. I intend to hold onto it,” Hariba wrote in his resignation letter.
But pressure is mounting as there are persistent calls for Israel to agree to a deal that would ensure the release of the prisoners, and tensions across the region threaten to spark a conflict with Iran.
“Immeasurable” pressure
Political analyst Yossi Mekelberg said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Hariba's move to resign seemed inevitable as the conflict drags on with no end in sight.
“Something is rotten in Israel's intelligence services,” said Mekelberg, an associate fellow at Chatham House, a British think tank.
“The pressure on Hariba has been immense,” he said, citing Iran's response not only to the Oct. 7 failure but also to Israel's attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, which put pressure on the region. He added that he was unable to gauge the reaction. To the brink of war.
“They left the country and region nervously. No one seemed to have warned them.” [of] More than 300 potential missiles, including ballistic missiles [being launched] Against Israel,” Mekelberg added.
While Hariba and others have accepted responsibility for failing to stop the attacks, others have also been quick to stand down, most notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has declined to answer tough questions about his role. However, he did not fully accept direct responsibility for allowing the attack to unfold. .
Instead, he continues to take a bullish stance, advocating for military operations in Gaza to overcome growing political pressure at home and abroad.
Omar Ashur, from the Doha Graduate Institute, suggested that Hariba's resignation was a “clear nudge and push” to follow the Israeli leader and resign.
“But knowing Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is very unlikely that he will change his position,” the analyst continued. “We'll have to wait and see. There are always surprises in this war.”