JERUSALEM, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Aharon Haliva, head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate, has requested to resign, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Monday.
According to the statement, Haliva's decision was made following his "leadership responsibility" over Hamas' unexpected attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 Israelis.
Once the successor is appointed "in an orderly and professional process," Haliva will end his position and retire from the IDF, the statement added.
The decision was coordinated with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to the statement.
In a resignation letter released with the statement, Haliva said that "the Intelligence Directorate under my command did not fulfill its task" and "I will forever bear the terrible pain of the war."
Israeli media reported that Haliva, serving 38 years in the IDF, would become the first senior officer in the Israeli army to resign over Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. ■
