The Israeli military’s chief of staff resigned on Tuesday, citing his failure to protect the country against the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, kicking off a politically charged battle for control of the country’s most powerful and respected institution.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi was among the first religious recruits to rise to senior roles in the historically secular armed forces, and the first settler from the occupied Palestinian territories to run the military.
But since the start of the war 15 months ago, he has been constantly assailed by far-right members of the ruling coalition for failing to deliver an outright victory against Hamas.