The chief of Israel’s Defense Forces told southern community leaders, “We are aware that we failed to defend your communities. We weren’t prepared for this kind of scenario. We will learn lessons from this mistake.”
By World Israel News Staff
The chief of Israel’s Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, met on Sunday with the leaders of frontier communities in the south, more than a month after the current war began.
During the tense meeting, Halevi admitted that the military did not do enough to protect border towns and prevent the October 7th massacre that led to the murder of over 1,200 people and the seizure of more than 240 hostages.
In a heated discussion during which there was much shouting, Halevi took full responsibility for the security failure that led to the catastrophe and the destruction of communities in the south but resolved to learn lessons from those mistakes to complete the mission of the war and provide long-term security with the destruction of Hamas.
He told the community leaders, “We are aware that we failed to defend your communities. We weren’t prepared for this kind of scenario. We will learn lessons from this mistake.”
Halevi described the duties of the IDF as a “contract with the citizens of Israel,” and during the invasion of the south by Hamas, that relationship was at a “dramatic low point.” He added, “We will do everything to restore that contract and bring back security.”
In addition to taking responsibility for the failure to prevent the massacre in October, which Halevi had done in its immediate aftermath, he expressed the IDF’s commitment to one goal–the elimination of Hamas.
“The entire IDF, and I personally, are focused on only one goal now, to defeat and dismantle Hamas.” The IDF added, “Gaza will not be the same. There will be a change in the concept of security. We are determined to complete the mission and destroy Hamas.”
Halevi vowed that the current operation in Gaza would accomplish what previous incursions into the coastal enclave over the past twenty years have failed to do – stop terrorist rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
“Not one rocket will fly towards Israel,” Halevi was quoted by Channel 13 as saying.
The IDF later denied Halevi made the statement, however, claiming he instead said that the army “will do everything to pursue every terrorist and prevent every rocket.”