Israel army says senior commander resigns over Oct 7 attack
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Brigadier-General Avi Rosenfeld said he is the one responsible in Division 143.
SCREENGRAB: ISRAEL DEFENCES FORCE/X
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JERUSALEM - Israel’s army said on June 9 that a senior commander had resigned over what he called his failure to prevent the Oct 7 attack by Palestinian militants.
“The commander of the 143rd Division, Brigadier-General Avi Rosenfeld, informed his commanders today of his intention to end his service in the (Israeli army),” said a statement by the military.
“The officer will finish his duties in the near future.”
Brig-Gen Rosenfeld wrote in a resignation letter released by the army: “Everyone has to take responsibility for their part, and I am the one responsible in Division 143.
“On October 7, I failed my life’s mission: to protect the envelope,” he wrote, referring to the southern Israeli communities on the border with Gaza.
In April, Israel’s military intelligence chief, Major-General Aharon Haliva, became the first high-ranking official to step down for failing to prevent the attack that shocked Israel and the international community.
In his resignation letter, Maj-Gen Haliva, who served in the force for 38 years, took responsibility for failing to prevent the attack.
“The intelligence division under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with,” he wrote.
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war broke out with the Oct 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 37,084 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. AFP
