Herzi Halevi deserves thanks for his service, now its time to turn IDF into attack dog

Opinion: While Israel must salute the outgoing chief of staff, his replacement is required to reshape the IDF's defensiveness and break the military's conception for taking action

Amihai Attali|
On that cursed Saturday, October 7, we awoke to a cascade of devastating news, much of which still haunts us. But the harshest blow — the one that triggered countless aftershocks in our lives — was the realization that our military isn’t what we thought it was.
On October 7, we discovered that we have an army unprepared for war, one that fails to understand the enemy’s psyche. The IDF is mired in a detached conception, leading it to misinterpret the enemy’s intentions and fail in preparing for their execution.
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הצהרה של הרמטכ"ל הרצי הלוי - מתפטר מתפקידו
הצהרה של הרמטכ"ל הרצי הלוי - מתפטר מתפקידו
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who officially took responsibility for the greatest military failure in the state’s history on Tuesday, deserves immense gratitude — without a hint of cynicism — for 40 grueling years of service to the people of Israel.
He merits acknowledgment for his remarkable capabilities in special operations and commando missions, his composure as a fighter and commander in the field, and as someone who sends soldiers into battle.
He’s a principled individual who deeply understands the meaning of personal example and responsibility. All of us who’ve lived in Israel over the past four decades owe him thanks for his many positive contributions.
At the same time, after saluting Halevi, it’s clear that the time has come for a new kind of IDF – one that dismantles old paradigms, abandons the mindset of partial victories and discards excessive consideration for the enemy, rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of right and wrong.
This is the same army that refrained from taking control of humanitarian aid to Gaza, perpetuating a policy of utter leniency.
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יואב קרן עם לוחמי חטיבה 188 בעזה
יואב קרן עם לוחמי חטיבה 188 בעזה
IDF forces in Gaza
(Photo: Yoav Keren)
“The war is a continuation of politics by other means,” said General Carl von Clausewitz, whose military strategy is studied in armies worldwide, including in every IDF command course. Yet there’s a glaring gap between study and execution.
In an ideal world, an army should be a decisive, aggressive tool, ready for immediate use by policymakers when needed. But from the war’s early moments and beyond, it became evident that Halevi’s IDF – and that of many of his predecessors – is far from that ideal.
Instead of being a restless attack dog, which decision-makers must restrain from seeking confrontation, our army has been lethargic, hesitant, preoccupied with military philosophy. Instead of an attack dog, we had a Pomeranian.
To be fair, this isn’t solely Halevi’s fault. He inherited an army steeped in this culture and failed to challenge its underlying assumptions. Under his leadership, the IDF became accustomed to avoiding confrontations, repeatedly trying to convince political leaders of the risks of engaging in conflict.
One stark example of this confusion came in May 2022. Following the stabbing attack in Elad, the idea of assassinating then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was on put the table.
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יחיא סינוואר
יחיא סינוואר
Yahya Sinwar
(Photo: MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
In a moment that encapsulated the army’s misplaced role within the national hierarchy, then-Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: “You need to convince me it’s worth the war that’ll follow this assassination.”
Halevi leaves behind an army with extraordinary tactical capabilities unmatched anywhere else in the world. From brigade commanders down, our soldiers charged into the fire, sought to engage the enemy and risked their lives to rescue their brothers and sisters from massacre and to achieve victory on various fronts.
The IDF has proven to be unparalleled in its ability to integrate intelligence, technology, creativity and operational execution. But when it came to achieving strategic objectives, Halevi’s IDF fell short.
Even after 15 grueling months of ground maneuvers, Hamas is not defeated. Even after hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives reduced much of Gaza to rubble, the hostages didn’t return — except through a deal with the devil, under harsh conditions that marked a clear failure for Halevi himself.
Following the chain of failures leading to the October 7 massacre, Halevi maintained a critical ongoing misstep: His insistence that the IDF not assume responsibility for managing humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza. The greatest leverage we had over Hamas — the one option that could’ve cornered them and created existential pressure — was cutting off supplies.
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רפיח עזה משאיות סיוע הומניטרי
רפיח עזה משאיות סיוע הומניטרי
Humanitarian aid trucks in Gaza
(Photo: REUTERS/Hussam Al-Masri )
According to testimonies from Security Cabinet meetings, Halevi repeatedly refused to take responsibility for the aid’s distribution. As a result, we found ourselves in a tragic absurdity, like the town that built a hospital to treat those injured by a broken bridge instead of fixing the bridge itself.
We sent our sons to shed their blood in battles against Hamas terrorists, while simultaneously delivering hundreds of daily truckloads of supplies — fresh food, raw materials for cooking and baking, fruits and vegetables, fuel and electricity.
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Halevi likely made these decisions for political reasons — he hesitated to assume the role of an occupier in Gaza. But such considerations are entirely outside his mandate; his sole purpose should’ve been securing a military victory.
The most critical trait for the next chief of staff, who’ll step into Halevi’s shoes, is to understand that he is entrusted by all of us to achieve military victory. To defeat the enemy, using every available tool to subdue Hamas.
עמיחי אתאלי Amihai AttaliPhoto: Alex Kolomoisky
There’s no real way to defeat an enemy that fights all out by patting it gently. Insisting on a limited toolkit to confront the enemy and allowing senior military officials to weigh in on matters beyond their mandate hurts us all — and undermines victory.
Thank you, Herzi Halevi. We salute you. But we need your successor to be sharper and more determined than you were. Only then can we overcome the absolute evil that’s risen against us.
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