Big shake-up in Israel's army as chief plans to quit in December — reports

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has set a December deadline to submit his resignation over the failure to prevent Hamas' October 7 raid on southern Israeli military sites and settlements that caught Israeli intelligence and army off guard, local media reported.

Israel's Channel 12 broadcaster said Halevi decided to quit at the end of this year, pending the conclusion of investigations into the Israeli military's failure to respond effectively to the Hamas blitzkrieg.

Halevi disclosed his plan to step down during a conversation with his associates, indicating that he believes the end of the year is an appropriate time to announce his resignation, Channel 12 said .

The media report claimed that by the end of December, the Israeli army is expected to have completed its preparations for an all-out war with Lebanon.

According to Times of Israel, the army dismissed Channel 12's report on the resignation date of Halevi as "baseless."

Despite the denial, speculation of Halevi's departure continues to intensify.

Halevi's possible resignation comes after Brigadier General Yossi Sariel, the commander of the Israeli army's notorious intelligence Unit 8200, announced his resignation over failure to prevent the October 7 events.

Sariel is one of seven top officials, including the Israeli army’s senior officials, who resigned after facing criticism for failing to warn Israel of the Hamas plan and incursions.

Sariel was appointed as the unit commander in February 2021, the Israeli website Walla said.

Resignations continue

In the last three months, the Israeli army's Gaza Division commander, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, the head of the Shin Bet security agency's Southern District, and an intelligence officer in the Gaza division have all resigned for the same reason.

On September 3, Tamir Yadai, the chief of the Israeli army's ground forces, resigned for "personal reasons" after three years in the position.

Major General Aharon Haliva, head of the Israeli army's Military Intelligence Directorate, resigned on April 22 after failing to predict the Hamas attack.

Brigadier General Amit Saar, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate's Research Division, resigned in the first week of February "due to personal reasons, unrelated to the unit's failure to sound the alarm about the Hamas attack, but over illness," according to media reports.

Since October 7, a series of high-profile resignations has rocked the Israeli army, with several senior officers stepping down over intelligence failures and personal reasons.

Israel continues its brutal invasion of Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

Tel Aviv has killed more than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, and wounded over 95,100, according to local Palestinian authorities.

But many experts and studies say the accurate death toll could be around 200,000 because many deaths have not been reported. They also argue that thousands of Palestinians are either missing or remain buried under the debris of bombed homes.

The relentless Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire 2.4 million population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.