Israel's military intelligence chief resigns over failure to prevent Hamas attack on Oct. 7

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The head of Israeli military intelligence said Monday he would resign because of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the stunning failure to anticipate or quickly respond to the deadliest assault in Israel's history.

Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva's decision could set the stage for more resignations among top Israeli security officials. Hamas militants blasted through Israel's border defenses on Oct. 7, rampaging through communities unchallenged for hours and killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, while taking roughly 250 hostages into Gaza.

The attack set off the war against Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month.

“The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever,” Haliva wrote in his resignation letter, which was provided by the military.

Haliva said he would remain in his position until a replacement is found. He said he had intended to resign immediately after Oct. 7, but stayed on through the initial part of the war and was resigning as the army’s internal investigations gather pace.

His announcement came at the start of Passover, a major Jewish holiday, and as military operations in Gaza have slowed in recent weeks ahead of a possible offensive on the southern city of Rafah.

The timing of any resignations by security and military officials has been complicated by the ongoing war in Gaza and battles with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah along Israel's northern border. Tensions with Iran are also at a high following attacks between the two enemies.

Some military experts have said resignations at a time when Israel is engaged on multiple fronts is irresponsible and could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Shortly after the attack, Haliva and others had publicly said that they shouldered blame for not preventing the Oct. 7 assault.

Other leaders have stopped short, most notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has said he will answer tough questions about his role but has not outright acknowledged direct responsibility for allowing the attack to unfold.

He has also refused to step down, even as a growing protest movement demands early elections.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid welcomed Haliva's resignation, saying it was “justified and dignified.”

“It would be appropriate for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the same,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

The Hamas attack, which came on a Jewish holiday, caught Israel and its vaunted security establishment entirely off guard. Israelis' sense of faith in their military — seen by most Jews as one of the country's most trustworthy institutions — was shattered in the face of Hamas' onslaught. The resignation could help restore some of that trust.

The resignation came as Jews around the world prepared to celebrate Passover, a weeklong holiday that begins Monday evening and marks the biblical exodus of Jews from slavery in Egypt. With roughly 130 people still held captive in Gaza, Passover is certain to take on a more somber hue this year: for many Israelis, it’s hard to fathom a celebration of freedom when dozens of people are still being held hostage.

“As we gather around the Seder table to commemorate and celebrate our journey from slavery to freedom, our hearts are heavy with the plight of the 133 Israelis who remain in captivity,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “Our resolve remains unyielding to see all hostages back with their families.”

Hamas' attack set off the devastating war that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local health ministry. The ministry's count doesn't distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, but it says at least two-thirds of the dead are children and women.

The fighting has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities and driven 80% of the population to flee to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave. The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis that has drawn warnings of imminent famine.

The attack also sent shock waves through the region. Beyond Hezbollah and Iran, tensions have rocked the Israeli-occupied West Bank and reverberated within Israel itself.

On Monday, Israeli police said that a car had slammed into pedestrians in Jerusalem, wounding three lightly. Security camera video showed two men exiting the car with a rifle before fleeing the scene. Police later said they arrested the two men.

This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva's surname.

Associated Press writer Julia Frankel contributed to this report from Jerusalem.

FILE - Palestinian Hamas militants transport Yarden Bibas to Gaza after kidnapping him from his home in Nir Oz, a kibbuz in Israel near the Gaza border, on Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali, File)

FILE - An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian armed militants who entered from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)

FILE - Israelis killed by Hamas militants lie on the road near Sderot, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

FILE - A car destroyed in an attack by Palestinian militants is seen in Sderot, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

FILE - Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)

FILE - Cars are on fire after they were hit by rockets from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel's military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday April 22, 2024 over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

This image made from video provided December, 2023, by Israeli Defense Forces shows Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Haliva resigned on Monday, April 22, 2024, over the failures surrounding Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel's history. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO HALIVA FILE - Israeli soldier walks by a pickup truck used by Palestinian militants in Sderot, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The Israeli military said Monday April 22, 2024 that the head of its intelligence corps has resigned over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, becomes the first senior Israeli figure to step down over the failures surrounding Hamas’ attack. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

FILE - Israeli soldier walks by a pickup truck used by Palestinian militants in Sderot, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The Israeli military said Monday April 22, 2024 that the head of its intelligence corps has resigned over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Aharon Haliwa, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, becomes the first senior Israeli figure to step down over the failures surrounding Hamas’ attack. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this postseason like a man savoring every moment of his return.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year's postseason with a knee injury had a strong first-round series against the New York Islanders, a physical presence with size and speed in the Hurricanes' aggressive-forechecking style. Now, with the Hurricanes preparing to face the New York Rangers in the second round, the player known around the locker room as “Svech” is eager to keep things rolling.

“I just want to go there and enjoy it,” Svechnikov said. “Obviously I had a tough time missing playoffs. I’m sure I would’ve helped a little bit. I’m just going there and enjoying my game and trying to give it my best shot there.”

Svechnikov, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, developed into a talented contributor during the Hurricanes' climb from a nine-year postseason drought to making six straight playoff trips. But roughly a month after playing in his first NHL All-Star Game, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in March 2023 and missed Carolina's push for the Stanley Cup.

Ultimately, he could only help by cranking the “storm warning” siren announcing the Hurricanes' charge onto the ice in front of a roaring home crowd for the playoff opener. The Hurricanes missed him badly when they ran up against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, losing four in a row by a one-goal margin.

That highlighted a longtime desire of Carolina to have more high-end finishers and scoring depth, but the impact was just as much about missing the 24-year-old's physical, hard-skating style on a roster featuring speed and skill on the top lines. Beyond his scoring was his ability to win puck battles for a team that thrives on sustaining possession in the offensive zone.

“If you look at our team, he’s by far our best power forward,” president and general manager Don Waddell said. "He finishes his checks. He’s not afraid of anybody. He gives us some of that muscle up front that we missed last year.”

Svechnikov recovered from knee surgery in time to skate with the team to open training camp, and he made his season debut in the ninth game in late October. He finished with 19 goals and 33 assists in 59 regular-season games. He also showed some familiar flair with another of his lacrosse-style goals — scooping up the puck from behind the net and wrapping it around the pipes to jam it past the goalie — in a win at Boston in April.

Carolina's Sebastian Aho, who centers the top line and had Svechnikov on the wing for much of the Islanders series, pointed to value beyond goals and points for a player who is plus-8 through his first 45 career playoff games. Svechnikov's return is one of the reasons Carolina entered the playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook,

“He's a beast out there,” Aho said.

Svechnikov scored his first goal of the postseason in the clinching Game 5 win. The Russian skated up the right side on the power play and attempted a pass to Aho near the crease, with the puck bouncing off the stick of Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo as Bortuzzo reached forward and tried to stay with Aho — an example of how Svechnikov's play can push opponents into pressured and compromised positions.

“It just felt like every time he was on the ice, he was a force,” coach Rod Brind'Amour said afterward.

Svechnikov also had four assists against the Islanders, with his five points tied for second with Martin Necas and behind only Seth Jarvis (seven). Meanwhile, Svechnikov's average 18:07 ice time ranked fourth among the forwards behind only Aho (21:50), Jarvis (20:17) and Jake Guentzel (19:57). He also generally avoided taking bad penalties of late.

Svechnikov was eager to get started before the first puck drop, saying it felt like “like three years ago” since his last postseason game (it was only two, a Game 7 home loss to the Rangers in the 2022 second round ) and that he had “goosebumps” at the thought of returning.

Still, he also picked up a few observations while watching last year's run, namely about the value of patience and finding a way to “slow down a little bit” amid everyone frantically skating on adrenaline amid the playoff chaos.

Just don't expect too much of that.

“I don't really worry about (scoring),” Svechnikov said. “It's playoffs. I just go out there and try to have fun and obviously help the team to win the games. That's all I do.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal with Sebastian Aho (20) as New York Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck (15) skates by during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) controls the puck against the New York Islanders during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)