Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, head of the IDF's Operations Directorate, announced Monday evening that he intends to retire from the military.
Basiuk, the third-highest-ranking officer in the IDF hierarchy, had been expected to step down, as his resignation comes just two days before the transition of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who is also leaving his post, to his successor, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Basiuk informed Zamir of his decision during a meeting, during which the incoming chief of staff accepted his request but asked him to remain in his position for the coming months due to "operational challenges," according to an IDF statement.
Zamir’s request reflects both an acknowledgment of Basiuk’s experience and trust in his leadership, raising the likelihood that he will complete four full years in the role before stepping down in early summer.
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The tenure of the head of the Operations Directorate typically does not exceed two to three years, making Basiuk’s extended service nearly twice the norm. His departure follows a pattern seen in other resignations from the IDF in the wake of the failures of the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack, which occurred toward the later stages of the war and close to the expected end of their terms, such as that of Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, the former commander of the Gaza Division.
A military investigation into the performance of the Operations Division under Basiuk’s command did not find negligence or major failures in relation to the scale and development of the Oct. 7 attack. However, there had been expectations that he would assume responsibility as the head of the directorate overseeing the IDF’s operational activities.
Basiuk harassed by pro-Palestinian activists in London
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Over his decades-long military career, he held multiple positions in the Armored Corps before serving as head of the Strategic Planning Division in the IDF’s Planning Directorate.
According to military investigations released last week, Basiuk was one of three members of the General Staff Forum who participated in overnight consultations ahead of the Hamas-led assault. He was joined by Halevi and Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman.
On the night before the attack, Israeli intelligence detected five "warning signs" suggesting that Hamas might be preparing for an assault. These included the near-simultaneous activation of dozens of Israeli SIM cards in Gaza, suspicious movements within the group's rocket infrastructure and other unspecified indicators. However, intelligence officials reportedly rationalized away each of these signals, noting that similar patterns had occurred in the weeks, months and years leading up to the war.