From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade commander formally announces resignation over Oct. 7 failures
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The commander of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, has officially told his superiors he is resigning from the military.
In a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Cohen writes that he takes responsibility for the brigade’s failures during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.
“The results show, I failed!!!” Cohen writes.
Cohen has said in the past that he intends to resign, and he was not promoted by former chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. New IDF chief Zamir, on March 5, already appointed a replacement for Cohen, Lt. Col. Omri Mashiah.
On the morning of October 7, Cohen remained in his war room at the Gaza Division base near Re’im. His counterpart, Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade, was killed fighting Hamas terrorists near Nirim, and his body was abducted to Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.