Asked if he plans to resign over the October 7 onslaught, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says he will make a decision once “the tasks are completed.”
“I have been serving in the IDF for almost 40 years. Not one moment in my service involved clinging to a chair. I am currently busy with the tasks: dismantling Hamas, returning the hostages, creating security for residents at the borders,” he says at a press conference.
“I have expressed my responsibility on several occasions, and these words also have a practical meaning, it is very clear to me,” Halevi says.
“We do not leave tasks in the middle, when we complete the tasks, I will make my decisions,” he adds.
Addressing the ongoing probes into the failures before, during and after October 7, Halevi says that there is no aspect of IDF activity that will not be subject to a deep investigation, including that “of the senior leadership of the IDF and of my own behavior.”
The military chief says that the investigations so far have revealed a number of failures as well as great bravery of IDF soldiers: “Every act of heroism that they did is their own, in every one of their mistakes, I have a part.”
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
- Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
- Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
- Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNation streaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
Join The Times of Israel Community
JOIN NOW
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this