Israel kills at least six Palestinians in occupied West Bank as its top military general resigns over Hamas' Oct 7 attack

In his letter of resignation, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the military, under his command, had "failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel."
Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, center, attends a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel, on Oct. 27, 2024.
Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, center, attends a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel, on Oct. 27, 2024.(Photo | AP)
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Israel's top military general, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi resigned on Tuesday citing security and intelligence "failure" during Palestinian group Hamas's surprise attack on October 7, 2023. The resignation comes days after Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, ending its 15-month-long "genocidal" war on Gaza.

Israel meanwhile killed at least six people and wounded 35 in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. It also detained more than 60 Palestinians, including children, hours after 90 Palestinian captives were released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Three Israeli hostages held by Hamas were also released on Monday, in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is the most senior Israeli figure to resign over the security breakdown on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led militants 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, and the militants abducted another 250. More than 90 captives are still being held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead from Israel's continuous attacks on the territory.

In his letter of resignation, Halevi said the military, under his command, had "failed in its mission to defend the State of Israel." Halevi, who began what was meant to be a three-year term in January 2023, said his resignation would go into effect March 6.

Israel had earlier announced a "significant and broad military operation" against Palestinian militants in Jenin. The city has seen repeated Israeli incursions and gunbattles with militants in recent years, even before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek an independent state encompassing all three territories.

The ceasefire does not apply to the West Bank, which has seen a surge of violence since the start of the war. Israeli troops have carried out near-daily raids that often ignite gunbattles.

There has also been a rise in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists — including a rampage in two Palestinian villages overnight Monday — as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Hamas condemned the Israeli operation in Jenin, saying it reflected Israel's "failure to achieve its goals in Gaza." It said it was also a "desperate attempt" by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save his governing coalition.

Netanyahu has faced criticism from his far-right allies over the ceasefire, which required Israeli troops to pull back from populated areas in Gaza and envisions the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including militants convicted of involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis.

The ceasefire has already seen Hamas return to the streets, showing that it remains in firm control of the territory despite 15 months of war that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread devastation.

One of his erstwhile partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir, quit the government the day the ceasefire went into effect, weakening the coalition but still leaving Netanyahu with a parliamentary majority. Another, far-right leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to bolt if Israel does not resume the war after the first phase of the ceasefire ends in six weeks.

Israel's war on Gaza, termed by many including UN experts and human rights organisations as a "genocide," has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians including more than 18,000 children, over a thousand healthcare workers and over 200 journalists.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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