(Jerusalem) The Israeli military announced that several senior generals have been dismissed or demoted for dereliction of duty in preventing the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Katz stated that he was completely unaware of the early announcement of the disciplinary decisions by Lieutenant General Zamir, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, suggesting potential problems and necessitating a further review.
According to media reports, Katz had previously suspended the promotions of two brigadier generals and one colonel due to public opinion. However, Zamir decided to lift the restrictions, deeming the promotions of the three individuals appropriate.
Katz instructed the Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense to conduct a comprehensive reassessment of the investigation committee's work and submit a report within 30 days, during which time all appointments of senior military officers are frozen.
According to a statement released by the Israeli military on Sunday (November 23), the list of dismissed generals includes three division commanders, one of whom was then the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate. All three took personal responsibility for the armed forces' failure to prevent Hamas from launching an attack from the Gaza Strip. In fact, all three had previously submitted their resignations.
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In addition to their dismissals, the Navy Commander and Air Force Commander also received disciplinary action, and four other generals and several senior officers were held accountable.
Earlier this month, a committee of experts appointed by Zamir released a report, marking the end of the military's internal investigation into the attack.
The report concluded that there were long-standing, systemic, and organizational failures in the military command structure, specifically pointing to a major "intelligence oversight" in which the military failed to raise the alarm in time regarding "exceptionally accurate intelligence."
