'I failed in my life's mission': Commander of Gaza Div. announced his resignation from IDF

Commander of the Gaza Division Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld on Sunday announced his resignation from the IDF, due to the October 7th failure.

"On October 7, I failed in my life's mission to protect the Gaza envelope area. On the morning of Simchat Torah, a surprise war broke out, without any warning. For many hours we were unable to protect the villages, the tens of thousands of residents, the thousands celebrating at the Nova party at Re'im, and the security forces in the outposts, against the thousands of terrorists who invaded our country, through dozens of routes in an all-out attack by the terrorist organization Hamas," Rosenfeld wrote in his letter.

He stated that "from the beginning of the attack, we operated in the division, each one within his or her ability to do everything they could to stop and destroy the enemy, save lives and regain control of the area. I am full of appreciation for the brigades, battalions, first response teams, and everyone who fought bravely, in the most difficult conditions, against thousands of terrorists. I am hurting and I constantly carry with me the heavy price paid by the citizens, soldiers of the army, and the security forces, and the loss of many friends."

Rosenfeld added: "Since then, eight months ago, we have been engaged in the most just war of our generation. I have no doubt that the IDF will not back down and will continue to fight until it reaches its goals and the security situation has fundamentally changed. We will no longer have an army of armed terrorists on our border. This is the only way the communities will be able to return to grow, flourish, and prosper. It sounds far off, it will be long and hard – but this will be our victory. I wish for the day when all the residents of the Gaza envelope return to their homes, but I know that in order to go back to living in this part of the country, we need to be assured that what happened can never happen again. Only then will we be able to restore the trust between the residents of the area and the IDF which suffered a severe blow."

According to Rosenfeld, "We need to do everything to bring all the hostages back home and the dead to be buried in Israel. This is a military mission, but more importantly, it is a moral duty. We will always stand by the bereaved families and accompany the wounded in body and soul."

"Everyone has to take responsibility for their part, and I am the one in charge of Division 143. As part of my responsibility as a commander, I have decided to end my position as the division commander and my service in the IDF after 30 years of service," he concluded.