Ex-Israeli army chief admits hostages were killed in Gaza bombardments

NEW YORK: Former Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi has acknowledged that Israeli hostages were also killed during the military bombardment of Gaza, admitting that the Israeli military was unaware of their presence in the targeted areas.

According to Israeli media reports, Halevi made the remarks during his first public appearance since resigning from the military approximately 18 months ago.

Addressing a conference in New York, Halevi described Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack as a preventable failure but categorically rejected allegations of internal betrayal.

He said the attack could have been prevented but insisted that there had been no internal treachery involved.

Defending Israel's military strategy in Gaza, Halevi claimed that intense military pressure on Hamas was necessary to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

However, he acknowledged that Israeli military bombardments had also resulted in the deaths of some hostages held in Gaza.

"We did not know they were there," he said, referring to the hostages killed in Israeli strikes.

Halevi further revealed that it had taken considerable time to convince Israel's political leadership to launch a ground operation against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attack.

Commenting on the investigation into the October 7 security failures, the former military chief stressed the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the events.

He said Israel must complete the investigation, raise difficult questions and confront its failures to ensure that mistakes are addressed and corrective measures are taken.

Halevi also disclosed that Israel had sent a stern warning to Hezbollah on the morning of October 7, 2023, while Hamas's attack was still underway.

According to Halevi, Israel communicated that it was closely monitoring Hezbollah's activities and warned that any hostile move would trigger a severe response against Lebanon.

Halevi was serving as chief of the Israeli military when Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

He resigned from his position in March 2025, following several months of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.