tel aviv20 minutes ago
- copy link
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzei Halevi resigned on Tuesday. According to the Times of Israel, he resigned on October 7, taking responsibility for the Hamas attack on Israel in 2003.
Along with Halevi, Major General Yaron Finkelman, chief of the IDF Southern Command, has also resigned. “This decision was taken a long time ago,” Halevi said. Now, with the IDF dominant in all areas of the war and another hostage return agreement in the works, the time has come.’
Halevi has sent a letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, stating that he will leave the IDF on March 6. At the same time, Finkelman has not given the date of resignation. Both officers have resigned two days after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect.
Major General Yaron Finkelman, Chief of the IDF Southern Command, with Herzei Halevi.
The most senior officer to take responsibility for the Hamas attack Halevi wrote in the letter – On the morning of October 7, the army under my command failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel. Israel paid a heavy price for this. My responsibility for this terrible failure remains with me every hour of every day. Will be with me for the rest of my life too.
He said that he is resigning as per his promise. Halevi also cited his and the IDF’s successes, including forcing Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad government in Syria and Hamas into ceasefire deals.
According to CNN, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had given Halevi a deadline of January 30 to complete the investigation into Hamas’s failure to stop the attack. He is the most senior Israeli official to resign due to a security breach.
Opposition party demands resignation from PM Netanyahu Herzei Halevi begins a three-year term in office in January 2023. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Halevi has taken responsibility on several occasions for not stopping the October 7 attack.
After Halevi’s resignation, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has demanded the resignation of PM Netanyahu. Lapid said that he salutes military chief Herzei Halevi for stepping down but now the time has come for the PM and his government to take responsibility and resign.
The war that has been going on between Israel and Hamas for the last 15 months has stopped on Sunday, January 19. Israel has released 90 Palestinian prisoners on the first day of the ceasefire. Earlier, Hamas had also released 3 female hostages of Israel.
Israel releases 90 Palestinian prisoners, 3 Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity
The names of these hostages are Romy Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. According to the Times of Israel report, the three hostages were brought back to Israel with the help of the Red Cross.
Romi Gonen, top, released from Hamas captivity, Emily Damari (bottom left) and Doron Steinbrecher (bottom right)
Israel will release about 700 Palestinian prisoners The ceasefire deal will be completed in 3 phases. In the first phase, Hamas will release 33 hostages kidnapped from Israel. Also, the Israeli army will retreat 700 meters from the Gaza border. Israel’s Justice Ministry has also released a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners who will be released in the first phase. These include 69 women, 16 men and 10 minors.
Israel will release more than 700 Palestinian prisoners. A list of their names has also been released. Many people included in this list are serving life sentences on murder charges, including members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Hamas entered Israel on October 7, 2023, killed 1200 people and took 251 hostage. A few hours later, the Israeli army attacked Gaza.
Ceasefire deal will be completed in three phases
On January 15, Joe Biden said that this deal will start in three phases from January 19, i.e. Sunday. In this, hostages will be exchanged for 42 days.
First phase:
- There will be a complete ceasefire in Gaza from January 19 to March 1. Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages. Israel will release 33 Palestinian prisoners every day in exchange for one of its hostages. For every Israeli female soldier, 50 Palestinian prisoners will be released.
Second phase:
- If everything goes well on the 16th day of the first phase, i.e. till 3rd February, then talks will start on the plan for the second phase. No attack will be carried out during this period. The remaining hostages who survived will be released.
- Israel will release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including about 190 who have been serving sentences for more than 15 years.
Third phase:
- Gaza will be rehabilitated in the last phase of this deal. This will take 3 to 5 years. The bodies of hostages killed by Hamas will also be handed over to Israel.