Chief intel officer of Gaza Division on October 7 formally dismissed from the IDF

A senior intelligence officer who is believed to have played a key role in the failures that led to the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught has been formally dismissed from the military, following months of deliberations over the matter.

Lt. Col. “Aleph” — identified only by his first initial in Hebrew — was the intelligence officer of the Gaza Division, the Israel Defense Forces division responsible for the Gaza Strip and its border, and held the position on and before October 7, 2023.

In November, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced that he had dismissed several senior officers, including Aleph, over their roles in the failures of October 7, 2023.

The military began proceedings to end the officer’s service, but Aleph fought his ousting in court, temporarily preventing a military committee set to dismiss him from convening and placing a gag order on details of the proceedings.

On June 30, the court ruled that the dismissal process was lawful and within the military’s authority, rejecting all of Aleph’s claims.

The military committee then convened, and following its review and recommendation, the head of the Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, today ordered Aleph’s release from IDF service.

Aleph was notified of the decision, which the IDF says he may appeal to Zamir.

The officer’s identity — despite having circulated online for months — is still barred from publication, as Aleph appealed to the High Court against his name being officially published by the media.