Disgraced Gaza Division Intel Officer Remains in IDF Nearly a Year Later

Nearly a year after then-IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi ordered the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel Aleph, the former intelligence officer for the Gaza Division, from permanent and reserve service, he continues to serve in the IDF in a role within the cyber defense system. This was reported by Avi Ashkenazi in Maariv. Lt. Col. Aleph was among the officers found responsible for failures preceding the October 7th massacre.

Head of Military Intelligence, Major General Shlomi Binder, had previously removed him from any command or intelligence role. Retired Major General Sami Turgeman determined that the officer bore responsibility for not conveying intelligence that could have prevented the October 7th disaster. Consequently, then-Chief of Staff Kochavi decided in November 2023 to immediately dismiss Lt. Col. Aleph from permanent and reserve service.

However, according to the report, this decision has yet to be implemented. Almost a year after it was made, Lt. Col. Aleph continues to serve in the IDF in the cyber defense system, reportedly arriving daily to his office at the Kirya in Tel Aviv and receiving his full military salary. Maariv noted that the head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, Major General Dedi Bar-Kalifa, is responsible for executing the Chief of Staff's decision, but the officer remains in service.

The report also stated that Lt. Col. Aleph is the son of a former general, who is considered very close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is identified with the campaign against establishing a state inquiry commission. IDF sources quoted in the report indicated that the officer's superiors were dismissed from military service. They added that many in the IDF believe Lt. Col. Aleph failed severely in his conduct in the days leading up to October 7th and the two days prior to the massacre, and that his actions contributed to the IDF's failure to prevent or disrupt the Hamas attack.