Israeli Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel, the outgoing commander of Unit 8200—the Israel Defense Forces’ signals intelligence unit—sharply criticized the IDF leadership on Monday, particularly outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi, for failing to prevent the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In a speech at the IDF’s Palmachim base in front of some 600 commanders, Sariel took full responsibility for the intelligence failures leading to the massacre, acknowledging his own and the IDF’s shortcomings in preparing for the assault, according to Ynet.
“The IDF was paralyzed for hours. Many civilians and forces rushed in, but the IDF system as a whole did not function,” he said. “Not even once did we sit together—the commanders and intelligence personnel—to ask how we failed like this,” he continued.
“Even if they thought it was just a Hamas drill that night, shouldn’t we have been prepared for it?” he asked.
Using a soccer analogy, he said: “We took to the field, IDF versus Hamas. To put it in context, it was like Barcelona against Maccabi Haifa, and on Oct. 7, we lost 0:15.”
The massacre was “not an accident,” but a symptom of “a severe disease that spread within the army,” he continued. “The most important thing, to ask and investigate so we could deal with the disease ... we didn’t do it.”
He concluded by inviting all those present to visit the unit’s headquarters and read its 148-page final report on the matter, “including the unit’s and my own personal mistakes.”
The investigation of the disaster, he said, “does not belong only to us. Anyone who is interested should coordinate with my office and come read and learn.”
Halevi, who succeeded Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kochavi in January 2023, said that his decision a year later to step down on March 6, 2025, stems from his “responsibility for the IDF’s failure” on Oct. 7.
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the IDF Southern Command, has also announced his intention to resign, citing responsibility for the IDF’s failures prior to the Oct. 7 attacks.
