The failures of the Israeli occupation army during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle continue to unfold, as recordings of the former Chief of Staff discussing these failures were revealed today, Monday. At the same time, the Israeli Ministry of Defense is witnessing a growing dispute between the minister and the Chief of Staff.
Today, Channel 12 in Israel revealed a new recording of the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Herzi Halevi, explaining his position on the events and decisions that preceded the attack by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), on October 7.
According to the recording, Halevi recounts how Hamas succeeded in deceiving Israel for years, how previous warnings of the attack were ignored, and the misinterpretation within Israeli intelligence and security agencies.
Halevi described how Hamas established a complex mechanism for deception, relying on a facade of work permit requests, aid arrangements, and infrastructure projects, convincing both Israeli and international parties that it was focused on the welfare of civilians and not interested in armed conflict against Israel.
He added, "They managed to convince everyone: the mediators, our leadership, the army, the intelligence, the Shin Bet, and the Mossad."
He pointed out that a key part of this deception was Hamas's deliberate control over the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, which Israel interpreted as evidence of its desire to maintain stability.
Halevi mentioned that the occupation army and the security establishment were convinced that Hamas was inclined to avoid conflict, especially after witnessing the movement punishing participants in protests and riots near the border fence in the weeks leading up to the attack, saying, "All of this was part of a process to lure us into sleep."
He stated, "The army failed," adding, "I am not racing to find out who is most responsible; I was the Chief of Staff that day, and I will carry this until the day I die."
In a related matter, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant froze appointments to senior positions in the army for 30 days today, demanding a reconsideration of the internal investigation conducted by the army regarding the October 7 attack, which led to the dismissal of senior officers from their positions and the discharge of others from service by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir yesterday, Sunday.
Gallant tasked the Israeli security service's inspector, Yair Volansky, with studying the "Turgeman" report and presenting his conclusions within 30 days, affirming, "My position regarding preventing the promotion of those who served in the southern command on October 7 has not changed."
Gallant stated in a statement that he instructed Volansky to study the report "including the issue of the necessity for further investigations in areas that the Israeli army did not investigate in the past and that the Turgeman Committee also did not address due to its study of existing investigations, and to complete investigations that the committee colored red and decided were not conducted appropriately and thoroughly."
Gallant continued that "Volansky will be asked to formulate recommendations regarding equal criteria for drawing personal conclusions."
Israeli media has circulated analyses suggesting that Gallant's statements are a signal of renewed tension between him and Zamir, as previous disagreements had emerged between them regarding how to manage the war in Gaza.
The dismissal of senior officers followed the publication of the Turgeman Committee report, which is known as the "investigation into investigations" (an investigation into the professionalism of the investigations conducted by the army) regarding the failures of October 7.
In response to the actions Gallant intends to take regarding the investigation team that Zamir formed immediately upon taking office, the "Walla" site quoted Zamir as saying that "the decision to question the Turgeman report is surprising; I heard about Minister Gallant's actions from the media."
He added that "the Turgeman report was prepared from the beginning to be used by the Chief of Staff to examine the quality of the investigations and draw lessons learned from the army, not for political use."
Zamir noted that "the decision to question the report, which was written over 7 months by 12 brigadiers and colonels, summarized by the army commander and presented to the minister personally, is astonishing," while also affirming that "freezing appointments harms the army's capability."
There has been escalating tension between Gallant and Zamir, reaching unprecedented levels that led to the freezing of a series of senior appointments within the army, including the position of military attaché in Washington and the leadership of the air and naval forces.
The disagreement between the two has become
شارك برأيك
Halivi reveals Hamas's deception before the Al-Aqsa flood and an escalating conflict between Katz and Zamir.