Ex-IDF Chief Halevi Admits Oct. 7 Failure, Denies Internal Betrayal

Former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi spoke for the first time about the failures leading to the October 7th Hamas attack, stating unequivocally that there was no internal betrayal. Speaking at the Shurat HaDin conference in New York, Halevi asserted that both the political and military leadership must clearly state this. He explained that he can detail the events of October 7th and does not believe any of his colleagues, who risked their lives for decades, would assist Hamas. Halevi noted that such assistance would require a wide network of collaborators, and after three years, none have been found.

Halevi emphasized the necessity of completing the investigation into the failures that preceded the attack, stating, "Israel must complete the inquiry and ask difficult questions, as we have done in the IDF. October 7th was a failure that could have been prevented. We must look failure in the eye to be able to fix it." He also addressed the conduct of the war, particularly the military's pressure on the political echelon to launch a ground maneuver in Gaza. Halevi argued that without strong military pressure inside Gaza, the hostages could not have been returned, a claim he stated he could prove.

Reflecting on mistakes made during the fighting, Halevi acknowledged that IDF bombs killed hostages, stressing it was unintentional and that their locations were unknown at the time. He mentioned that the IDF has undergone an accelerated learning process to improve the ability to accurately identify hostage locations. Halevi also discussed pre-attack security priorities, admitting that while a war in Gaza was necessary, the focus was on Iran, then Hezbollah, and then Hamas, due to the belief that Hamas did not intend such an attack. He explained that a shared perception among the IDF, Shin Bet, and the political echelon was that Hamas was not interested in war, as it aimed to manage Gaza's population and potentially control the West Bank.

Halevi stated that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was convinced Israel would not maneuver in Gaza, viewing it as a complex combat zone, and that Israel itself contributed to this assessment. Despite the surprise in Gaza, the IDF sent a message to Hezbollah on the morning of October 7th, warning of severe retaliation if they made any move. The conference, focused on combating antisemitism, was attended by numerous pro-Israel organizations, foreign policy experts, and legal scholars, with its president, Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, calling for unprecedented cooperation against rising antisemitism and modern Israel hatred.