Herzi Halevi
“We never contemplated the possibility that 5% of what happened [on Oct. 7] could happen,” Lt. Gen. (res.) Herzi Halevi said.
Decisive victory the goal, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed to “strike a decisive blow” against those who attacked Israel and committed atrocities on Oct. 7.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, 59, toured Jenin, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon for meetings with senior officers.
In remarks to regional council heads in southern Israel leaked by Hebrew media, the outgoing chief of staff emphasized however that “Israel must not stop here.”
Investigation into the hours leading up to the massacre revealed that the first signs of an impending invasion were detected around 9 p.m., some nine-and-a-half hours before Hamas and Palestinian Arabs attacked.
“Not even once did we sit together—the commanders and intelligence personnel—to ask how we failed like this,” said IDF Brig. Gen. Yossil Sariel.
The IDF chief of staff was awarded the Legion of Merit in recognition of the cooperation between the Israeli and American militaries during his tenure.
“I expect from Eyal Zamir, during his service, and perhaps very soon, that we will see ... major achievements, which will change not only the status of Israel but the face of the entire Middle East,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The outgoing IDF chief aims to bolster military cooperation between the two countries.
U.S. Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla emphasized “the ironclad military-to-military relationship between the U.S. and Israel.”
The new military chief will step into the shoes of Herzi Halevi, who has commanded the military during the 16-month war against Hamas in Gaza.
