Israeli authorities have fired Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir from the service for lapses during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack inside the country.
The Israeli army chief has fired several high-ranking military officials after they failed to prevent the Hamas attack. The decision was announced following an internal investigation that highlighted several loopholes in the Israeli security apparatus deployed along the Gaza Strip.
Zamir said he had fired and reprimanded senior commanders due to the military's failure "to protect the civilians of the State of Israel." "The IDF failed in its primary mission on October 7th—to protect the civilians of the State of Israel," Zamir said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
“This is a non-negotiable failure, relating to decisions and conduct on the eve of the event and during it," he said.
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“The failures during the Hamas operation must be taken as lessons for the future to strengthen vigilance towards protecting the future of Israel and the fate of its citizens.” Those suspended include former heads of the intelligence directorate, operations directorate and southern command.
However, it should be noted that all of these concerned officials had resigned from active service but were still in reserve roles. The southern command is responsible for the security around Gaza.
The Hamas-led October 7 assault killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 as hostages. Meanwhile, Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 70,000 people, the majority of whom are civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
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