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PBS NewsHourSep 05
Israeli Intelligence Chief Resigns Over Oct. 7 Hamas Attack
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Above: Relatives of hostages Ziv and Gali Berman stand near the border with the Gaza Strip on Aug. 29, 2024, in Nirim, Israel. Image copyright: Amir Levy/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday that Brigadier General Yossi Sariel, the commander of Unit 8200, its main signals intelligence unit, is resigning from his position. This is due to his unit's failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.2K people.
According to the nation's public broadcaster Kan, Sariel stated that he couldn't fulfill his "personal responsibility" to stop Hamas from launching the attack and that he would "pass the baton" at a time deemed fit by the authorities. The IDF said Sariel will be replaced "in the coming period."
The Spin
Narrative A
The buck lands with the person in charge, which, in Israel's case, is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Oct. 7 was an intelligence failure of epic proportions, which resulted in Hamas launching its catastrophic attack. Netanyahu must also publicly accept blame and take responsibility — as others are doing — for his government's inability to carry out its primary task—to protect Israel's citizens.
Narrative B
Mass resignations don't help to provide clarity to Israeli residents about the underlying systemic problems in the lead-up to Oct 7. Israelis deserve to know why the military was found unprepared despite a reported warning of Hamas' large-scale invasion of Israel a year ago. Questions like why the commanders dismissed the armed group's capabilities and why it had diverted resources away from monitoring Gaza remain unanswered.
