Mossad Chief Ousts Senior Officer Involved in October 7 Failures

Mossad Director David Barnea has decided that Brigadier General G., formerly head of the Operations Division in Military Intelligence (Aman), will not continue his service in the Mossad or the security establishment. This decision comes after G. was removed from his role in the IDF due to his part in the October 7 failures and subsequently seconded to the Mossad. He has now left the organization.

Brigadier General G. had previously sought to be appointed commander of Unit 8200, but when unsuccessful, he was loaned to the Mossad. The decision to end his tenure is reportedly linked to the complex relationship between G. and Barnea. Notably, just over three months ago, Barnea's appointment as Mossad chief was contingent on a High Court affidavit from G., who was then head of Operations. G. submitted an affidavit fully supporting Barnea's account regarding his involvement in the case of Uri Almakiys, which helped pave the way for Barnea's appointment.

Despite an agreement in November between then-acting IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen that G. would leave due to his failures on October 7, Barnea initially sought to keep him in the system. Barnea independently contacted retired Major General Sami Turjeman, who led the IDF's inquiry into the failures, without informing anyone at the Mossad. Turjeman expressed surprise at the inquiry, stating that G.'s departure was already agreed upon, and while not ruling him out, emphasized his responsibility for the failures.

On Tuesday, Barnea met with Brigadier General G. at Mossad headquarters and informed him that his secondment would not be extended and he would not continue in the security system. Barnea has not denied the report. This decision reportedly removes concerns that Barnea might have sought to reward G. for the affidavit that aided his appointment. G. arrived at the Mossad after Zamir decided he would not continue in a senior IDF role. Zamir and Cohen had agreed G. would retire within months, with his departure from the IDF set for approximately two months from now. G. is considered the highest-ranking Aman officer to leave his post following the October 7 events, despite recent attempts to secure a senior position within the Mossad.