Israeli Intelligence Chief Resigns Over Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

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Facts

  • The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday that Brigadier General Yossi Sariel, the commander of Unit 8200, its main signals intelligence unit, is resigning from his position. This is due to his unit's failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.2K people.[1]
  • According to the nation's public broadcaster Kan, Sariel stated that he couldn't fulfill his 'personal responsibility' to stop Hamas from launching the attack and that he would 'pass the baton' at a time deemed fit by the authorities. The IDF said Sariel will be replaced 'in the coming period.'[2][3]
  • In his four-page resignation letter, Sariel claimed that his unit's intelligence officers had gathered detailed information on Hamas' plans and preparations for the attack but admitted that the information lacked critical intelligence about the date of the attack.[4]
  • Though he took personal responsibility for his unit's failings, he said that the Israeli security establishment, including Israeli intelligence and military, failed 'as a political and operational system in being unable to connect the dots to see the full picture and prepare to face the threat.'[5][4]
  • Sariel is the third top Israeli military official to step down for failure to respond effectively to the attack. The commander of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, Major General Aharon Haliva, and Gaza Division Commander, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, have already resigned from their posts.[6][7]
  • According to a Channel 12 report, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is planning to submit his resignation in December for failing to foil the Hamas attack and its militants' infiltration into Israel. By the end of this year, the IDF is expected to conclude investigations into the failure to stop the events of Oct. 7.[8][9]

Sources: [1]Timesofisrael (a), [2]CNN, [3]Almayadeen, [4]Guardian, [5]Haaretz.com, [6]New York Post, [7]Allisrael, [8]Middleeastmonitor and [9]Timesofisrael (b).

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. The buck lands with the person in charge, which, in Israel's case, is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Oct. 7 was an intelligence failure of epic proportions, which resulted in Hamas launching its catastrophic attack. Netanyahu must also publicly accept blame and take responsibility — as others are doing — for his government's inability to carry out its primary task—to protect Israel's citizens.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al Jazeera. Mass resignations don't help to provide clarity to Israeli residents about the underlying systemic problems in the lead-up to Oct 7. Israelis deserve to know why the military was found unprepared despite a reported warning of Hamas' large-scale invasion of Israel a year ago. Questions like why the commanders dismissed the armed group's capabilities and why it had diverted resources away from monitoring Gaza remain unanswered.

Predictions