Israel's top general resigns citing security failures during Oct 7 attack
Jerusalem, Jan 21 (AP): Israel's top general resigned on Tuesday, citing the security and intelligence failures related to Hamas' surprise attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel meanwhile launched a large operation in the occupied West Bank, killing at least six people, according to Palestinian officials.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli figure to resign over the security breakdown on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led members carried out a land, sea and air assault into southern Israel, rampaging through army bases and nearby communities for hours.
The attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the group abducted another 250. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Halevi's resignation came just says into a fragile ceasefire with Hamas that could lead to an end to the war and the return of the remaining captives.
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of Israel's Southern Command, which oversees operations in Gaza, also tendered his resignation.
The resignation of the two senior generals will likely add to calls for a public inquiry into the October 7 failures, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose leadership could be implicated — has said must wait until the war is over.
Halevi had also appeared to be at odds with Israel's new defence minister, Israel Katz, over the direction of the war, with Halevi saying Israel had accomplished most of its goals and Katz echoing Netanyahu's vow to keep fighting until “total victory” over Hamas.
In his letter of resignation, Halevi said the military, under his command, had “failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel" when Hamas attacked but had made “significant achievements” in the ensuing war, which rippled across the Middle East.
Halevi, who began what was meant to be a three-year term in January 2023 said his resignation would go into effect March 6.
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Eight fruit vendors killed, ten injured as truck falls into 50-metre deep valley in Yellapura
Yellapura (PTI): At least eight persons were killed and 10 others sustained injuries when the truck in which they were travelling fell into a 50-metre-deep valley near here in the wee hours of Wednesday, a police officer said.
The victims, all fruit vendors, started from Savanur and were heading towards the Yellapura fair to sell fruits. They were traveling on the Savanur - Hubballi road when the accident occurred in a forested section, the Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M Narayana said.
"Around 5:30 am, the truck driver in a bid to give side to another vehicle went to the extreme left and fell into an about 50 metre deep valley," Narayana told PTI.
He added that there was no protection wall in the road in the valley.
"Eight persons were killed on the spot and two got critical injuries. The injured have been shifted to the KIMS Hospital in Hubballi," the officer said.
