Herzi Halevi: October 7 Was a Failure That Could Have Been Prevented

In depth

Former Chief of Staff, Reserve Major General Herzi Halevi, publicly addressed the events of October 7 for the first time at a conference of the Shurat HaDin organization in New York. Halevi stressed that the surprise attack was a systemic failure that could have been prevented, but completely rejected conspiracy theories and claims of betrayal from within. He called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to deal with the difficult questions as part of the healing and clarification process of the State of Israel.

Halevi acknowledged serious mistakes that were made and said the perception that Hamas was deterred was fundamentally wrong. In his speech, the former Chief of Staff revealed that IDF bombs dropped on hostages held in the Gaza Strip without the forces knowing they were there at the time of the attack.

Halevi added that it took a long time to convince the political echelon to approve the ground maneuver in the Strip. According to him, despite the costs and mistakes, without significant military pressure it would not have been possible to bring the hostages home.