Former Justice Minister Haim Ramon has called on IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to step down - even though Israel has not yet finished the war.
"Half a year has passed since the October 7 massacre," he wrote. "Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi took responsibility immediately after the massacre, and said that 'the IDF is responsible for the security of the country and its citizens, and on that Shabbat morning in the Gaza border area, we did not manage.'"
"Even then, it was clear to the Chief of Staff, and he said so to those close to him, that as the one who stood at the head of the army at the time of the failure, he will not complete his term. But, Halevi explained then, and justifiably, 'now is a time of war' and therefore he received support from the public to lead the IDF to a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, despite his responsibility for the failure.
"Today, half a year after the start of the war, nearly all of the IDF forces which were sent into Gaza have already exited it. The IDF is no longer in northern Gaza, and the conquest of Rafah and the south seems farther off than ever. In the past few days, the IDF has also withdrawn from Khan Yunis. Since February, the war in the Strip has moved to a lower intensity, and now there is almost no fighting there at all.
"With fear and pleading for mercy, I turn to the Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, and say to him: The time has come to make good on your responsibility and resign your position. Despite his responsibility for the failure, I am convinced that the nation of Israel has great appreciation for his long years of service and his contribution to Israel's security."
Ramon added, "I believe and hope that Halevi's resignation will spark a chain reaction, and the entire senior command of the IDF, which is responsible for the failure, will stand up and resign following the example set by the Chief of Staff."
"More than that, even the senior officials in the political echelon, who bear responsibility for the failure, and at their head the Prime Minister, will understand that the time has come to resign or to hold elections as soon as possible, and the entire political echelon, in all its components, must go back to the nation, after the worst event in the history of Zionism - and request our faith once again."