The director of the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate, General Aharon Haliva, published a letter to the IDF's intelligence personnel for the 39th day of the war against Hamas.
He began the letter by referring to the failures that led to the Hamas invasion. “We are in the midst of a war. Five weeks have passed since the murderous attack that Hamas carried out on October 7th, on Shabbat morning, on the holiday of Simchat Torah. The Military Intelligence Directorate, under my direction, failed at its primary objective of providing an early warning of war.”
“We are required to investigate this incident and take responsibility. The time for that will yet arrive. But from the first moment, we have not sunk in our failure - rather, we fought back and triumphed.”
“In the sixth week of the war, the IDF is deep within the Gaza Strip, in the heart of enemy territory, destroying terrorists and terrorist infrastructure. The ones who carried out the massacre, and those who sent them, murderers and abductors of children, women, and the elderly - all deserve to die and we will reach all of them. This is the last will of our lost loved ones, and our obligation.”
Haliva noted: “The war is not limited to the Gaza Strip, and has multi-front and regional aspects that are increasing its complexity.”
“We are dealing with enemies in the north, east, and south, from near and far. We are working non-stop, in every region and on every border, committed to protecting our home and returning security and quiet to the citizens of Israel,” he concluded.