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A survivor of the Nova music festival terrorist attack by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, has channeled her therapeutic journey through music and on Thursday secured the slot to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.
Yuval Raphael, 24, reportedly began singing as a way to cope with the trauma she endured after she, four of her friends and roughly 40 others attempted to hide in a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im after they fled the festival by car after the attack.
Raphael, who was forced to hide under the bodies of those killed in front of her for about eight hours before help arrived, has shared her story and described how Hamas terrorists repeatedly returned to the bomb shelter and opened fire on those hiding inside.
Eventually, the terrorists began throwing grenades into the concrete shelter, a story similar to what dozens endured that day, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
IDF KILLS HAMAS TERRORIST IT SAYS WORKED FOR UNRWA, LED CHARGE ON REIM BOMB SHELTER MASSACRE
“Music is one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process,” she said during the competition Thursday, The Times of Israel reported.
Despite having no previous experience as a singer, Raphael secured her top spot after singing “The Writings on the Wall” followed by a rendition of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” dedicated to “all the angels” killed in the October 2023 terrorist attack.
Raphael had previously garnered international attention not with her powerhouse voice but by sharing her experience with the United Nations Human Rights Council in a move she said was not politically motivated but an attempt to bring attention to what innocent civilians endured that tragic day.
Pictures are displayed on the walls of a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, April 7, 2024, where, six months earlier, people sought refuge before being killed during the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza.(Reuters/Amir Cohen)
TRUMP ENVOY SAYS GAZA CEASEFIRE COULD PAVE WAY FOR MIDEAST NORMALIZATION DEAL: ‘INFLECTION POINT’
Yuval Raphael, 24, won the slot to represent Israel at the Eurovision music competition Jan. 23, 2023, after having no prior singing experience.(Ortal Dahan Ziv)
“I want to tell them the story of the country, of what I went through, of what others went through,” she reportedly said ahead of the final. “I want to tell the story, but not from a place of seeking pity. I want it to be from a place of standing strong in the face of this and in the face of the boos I’m 100% sure will come from the crowd.”
Raphael’s comments were in reference to the pushback she and other Israelis have faced during the international competitions, including in 2024, following the terrorist attack and subsequent Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operations in Gaza.
Yuval Raphael, 24, won the slot to represent Israel at the Eurovision music competition Jan. 23, 2023, despite having no prior singing experience.(Ortal Dahan Ziv)
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Israel has faced calls to be banned from the international competition, but the European Broadcasting Union has rejected the push, affirming that Eurovision is a non-political music event. The 2024 Israeli contestant, Eden Golan, faced anti-Israeli protests and had to be granted a Shin Bet security detail.
Golan was also required to change the name of her song, “October Rain,” to “Hurricane” because event officials believed it was too political, The Times of Israel reported.
The terrorist group Hamas released three hostages from Gaza hours after a cease-fire deal with Israel took effect after a brief delay Sunday.
Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Demari, 27, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were freed to the Red Cross, which will then deliver them to the Israeli Defense Forces. A crowd watched the ongoing saga in Tel Aviv, cheering as good news emerged 15 months after the Oct. 7 massacre of civilians by Hamas.
Israel is expected to free some 90 Palestinian prisoners in return.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Defense Forces that the cease-fire would not begin until Israel had the list of hostages expected to be freed. Since Hamas had not given the names of the hostages by the time the cease-fire was set to start, the IDF continued to operate, as it was still striking inside Gaza. At least eight Gazans have been killed in IDF strikes since the cease-fire was set to begin, according to a Hamas-run agency.
Hamas had said the three-hour delay in providing the names was due to “technical field reasons” and added that it is committed to the cease-fire deal announced last week.
WHAT TO EXPECT AS ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE GOES INTO EFFECT ON SUNDAY
Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.(Fox News)
The terror group released a statement after the cease-fire began, pledging to the people of Gaza “to be the trustees of their rights and defenders of them, until the complete liberation of the land and the holy sites.”
“The whole world today must stand in reverence for the legendary steadfastness of our people in Gaza, and in appreciation of their patience and sacrifices over the course of 471 days,” Hamas said.
“With the entry into force of the ceasefire, we affirm our commitment to implementing the terms of the agreement, which is the fruit of the steadfastness and patience of our great people, and the legendary steadfastness of our valiant resistance in the face of the zionist machine of terrorism and killing,” the statement continued.
Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early Saturday morning for a cease-fire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and pause the war with Hamas that began after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State.
The deal would allow 33 hostages to be set free over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remaining hostages are set to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
“Our heroic prisoners have an appointment with freedom starting today, and this is our firm pledge with them always, until they break the shackles of the jailer and breathe freedom in the skies of Palestine,” Hamas said in its statement.
People react as they watch news coverage of the release of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a cease-fire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Tel Aviv, Jan. 19, 2025. (REUTERS/Shir Torem)
Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war.
Gaza is expected to receive a surge in humanitarian aid when the cease-fire begins.
“We are monitoring the operations of bringing in aid and providing relief to our people with everything necessary, and we confirm that all efforts will be made to provide all the necessary support and assistance requirements to restore the cycle of life in the Gaza Strip to normal,” Hamas said in its statement.
ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES WILL RECEIVE HOSTAGES SUNDAY WITH EQUIPPED CAMPER TRAILERS AND COMFORTING SUPPLIES
A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after the deadly Oct 7 Hamas attack calling for the release of the hostages on January 17, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel.(Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people wer killed and about 250 others were abducted, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run government’s local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
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JERUSALEM—Scenes of armed and uniformed Hamas terrorists could be seen in Gaza on Sunday as the first three Israeli female hostages were released as the cease-fire deal came into effect.
Israeli news agency TPS-IL reported that groups of armed men, suspected terrorists in the central Gaza area of Deir al-Balah, celebrated after the cease-fire and quoted them as chanting, “It is continuous by God’s permission to kill the last Zionist soldier in our holy country,” as cars honked horns and music blared.
The agreement could enable Hamas to reorganize its terrorists in Gaza and repopulate the northern part of the Gaza Strip that borders Israel, according to some concerned Israeli military experts.
BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
Hamas terrorists emerge in a show of strength escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying three Israeli hostages to be released as part of the cease-fire deal. (TPS-IL)
“Despite significant military achievements against many of the Iranian terror proxies around it, Israel has been forced to agree to a very bad deal that leaves Hamas in power. As the leaders of Hamas have repeatedly stated, including after the declaration of the cease-fire, Hamas intends to continue on its path of Jihad against Israel until Israel is completely eliminated,” former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “Israel is held at gunpoint by the Hamas terror organization and has agreed to release almost 2,000 convicted Palestinian terrorists, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and to temporarily cease-fire in order to repatriate 33 Israeli hostages.”
Following the initial announcement of last week’s deal, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, reportedly boasted that his movement plans to commit a second October 7 massacre of Israelis, according to a Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translation of his remarks.
He reportedly bragged about the first slaughter of over 1,200 Israelis, including more than 40 Americans, on October 7, 2023, and declared plans to launch new mass murders. “October 7 Will Remain A Source Of Pride To Our People And Our Resistance, And Will Be Passed Down From Generation To Generation,” declared al-Hayya.
Hamas terrorists emerging from the shadows as they surround Red Cross vehicles. (TPS-IL)
He said the jihadi organization will expel Israel from Palestine and Jerusalem and that this will happen soon, adding, “We will never forget and never forgive,” and vowing that Israel’s crimes will be punished, “even if it takes time.”
Conricus, a senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that only “Due to overwhelming international pressure applied on Israel throughout the last 15 months, which has prevented Israel from exercising the needed amount of leverage and pressure on Hamas in Gaza, this extortion deal is regrettably probably the best way of saving Israeli hostages.”
Retired IDF Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi (Res) told Fox News Digital that at this stage, the government is prioritizing bringing back the hostages. It is obviously urgent. Their situation is very bad.” He added “The government intends to go back fighting after the first stage unless there will be another cease-fire to get all the hostages. But there is no intention to give up destroying Hamas and creating a new reality in Gaza.”
BIDEN BALKS WHEN ASKED IF TRUMP DESERVES CREDIT FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL: ‘IS THAT A JOKE?’
Hamas terrorists wave to Gazans during Sunday’s release of three Israeli hostages.(TPS-IL)
Caroline Glick, a conservative Israeli commentator, who is well versed in the Jewish state’s campaign to defeat Hamas, said on her podcast, “What we’re having now is a situation where we are being forced permanently into this position where we are not allowed to win because that is what the cease-fire effectively does to Israel.”
The cease-fire-for-hostages deal comes at a time when Israel has largely degraded Hamas’ military power. Hamas is in a feeble condition. Hezbollah, the main Hamas ally in the region, cut a cease-fire agreement with Israel and removed one of Iran-backed fronts against the Jewish state.
Iran’s regime has launched no new strikes against Israel since Jerusalem countered its October aerial attack.
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Suspected terrorists in Gaza come out of hiding as cease-fire for-hostages deal gets underway in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area.(Majdi Fathi/TPS-IL)
The deal contains deep concessions for Israel. The Jewish state will release up to 2,000 Palestinian terrorists, including over a hundred serving life sentences.
The expectation is based on previous releases of Palestinian terrorists for Israeli hostages involved in the Palestinian murderers returning to fight Israel.
TPS-IL reported on Monday that an estimated 20,000 terrorists from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups have been killed in the war. On Sunday, it was also reported that Izz al-Din Haddad, commander of Hamas’s Northern Brigade, who oversaw Sunday’s transfer of three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, has been tapped as the Hamas leader to rebuild the terror organization.
One of the three Israeli hostages released by Hamas is speaking out after spending nearly 500 days in captivity, saying that she has “returned to my life.”
In a post on Instagram, Emily Damari, 28, also wrote, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I’m the happiest in the world just to be.”
Damari is a dual Israeli-British citizen who lost two fingers during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities. She was said to be in stable condition on Sunday after being freed from the Gaza Strip.
“Yesterday, I was finally able to give Emily the hug that I have been dreaming of,” her mother Mandy Damari also said Monday in a statement released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has been advocating for the release of the captives.
ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASE-FIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES
Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy are seen together after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025.(AP/Israeli Army)
“I am relieved to report that after her release, Emily is doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated,” her mother continued. “In Emily’s own words, she is the happiest girl in the world; she has her life back.”
Mandy Damari described her daughter’s release as an “incredibly happy moment for our family” but said “we must also remember that 94 other hostages still remain.”
“The ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families,” she added.
ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS
Former hostage Emily Damari and her mother Mandy hold a video call with Emily’s brother Tom Damari on Sunday, Jan. 19, after she was released from Hamas captivity.
“As wonderful as it is to see Emily’s resilience, these are still early days. As you will have seen yesterday, Emily lost two of the fingers on her left hand,” Mandy Damari also said. “She now needs time with her loved ones and her doctors as she begins her road to recovery.”
Damari was one of three hostages released by Hamas on Sunday as part of a cease-fire agreement.
In exchange, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank.
Romi Gonen, right, and her mother Merav hold each other near kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Romi was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza.(AP/Israeli Army)
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The other two Israeli hostages that were freed were identified as Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24.
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TEL AVIV, Israel – With the first three Israeli hostages freed in the cease-fire for hostages deal, Fox News Digital has exclusively learned that several terrorists captured by Israeli forces last month confessed that Israeli captives were held at different times at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recently completed a major raid on the hospital, arresting some 240 terrorists. The director of the hospital, Hussam Abu Safiya, the Israelis claim, had gathered intelligence showing that he not only allowed Hamas to infiltrate the hospital, but actively collaborated with the terror group.
Another captured terrorist, Anas Muhammad Faiz al-Sharif, who worked at the hospital as a cleaning supervisor and joined the Nukhba forces of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades in 2021, told Israeli interrogators that the northern Gaza facility was viewed as “a safe haven for them because the [Israeli] military cannot directly target it.”
He revealed that inside the hospital, terrorists distributed grenades and mortars, along with equipment for ambushing IDF troops and tanks.
UN ACCUSED OF DOWNPLAYING HAMAS TERRORISTS’ USE OF GAZA HOSPITALS AS NEW REPORT IGNORES IMPORTANT DETAILS
IDF troops located weapons, classified documents, and tactical communications equipment from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, used by Hamas as a terror command center.(IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Fox News Digital asked a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman if, based on the IDF’s new allegations about holding hostages at Adwan Hospital, they would condemn Hamas’ use of hospitals for military use.
In a statement, the spokesman said, “The International Humanitarian Law is very clear. Healthcare workers and healthcare facilities are off limits. They must not be attacked. They must not be used for military purposes. They must be protected at all times. The point is both to protect civilians, as well as to protect the health systems and infrastructure that communities depend on for life-giving care and continuity of services.
“Failure to protect and respect healthcare devastates twice. First, in the initial harm, and then again for the months or years it takes to rebuild the health systems.”
The statement concluded without condemning or singling out Hamas. “The protection of healthcare also includes the prohibition against combatants using health facilities for military purposes. IHL is also clear that even if healthcare facilities are being used for military purposes, there are stringent conditions which apply to taking action against them, including a duty to warn and to wait after warning and even then, disproportionate attacks are strictly prohibited.”
Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Trump National Security Council official, claimed, “Several international organizations operating in Gaza likely had direct knowledge of Hamas using hospitals as terror headquarters and only publicly protested Israel’s attempt to clear the terrorists. The Red Cross, UNRWA, World Health Organization – they were all collaborators.”
Ambulances carrying patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahya, northern Gaza Strip since services stopped within 24 hours due to lack of fuel, arrive at Shifa Hospital, accompanied by UN teams, in Gaza City, Gaza, on Oct. 12, 2024.(Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Goldberg offered advice for President Trump’s pick for U.N. ambassador, Elise Stefanik, who goes before the Senate on Tuesday. “Stefanik would be fully justified in launching investigations into each of those agencies – demanding documents and personnel interviews. And if they don’t comply, they can deal with the consequences.”
One of Trump’s first acts on Monday was to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO.
During the monthslong IDF operation in northern Gaza, more than 700 terrorists were detained, including Hamas commanders, some of whom participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. More than a dozen of those captured were involved in kidnapping or holding Israeli hostages in Gaza.
During the operation, the IDF located and destroyed thousands of weapons, including RPGs stashed within the hospital itself. The aim of the campaign was to completely defeat Hamas’s Northern Brigade and remove the terror group’s presence from within the civilian population. IDF troops conducted raids ranging from a few hours up to a full day. During the longer ones, they entered the hospital and searched for weapons and terrorists.
Former Shin Bet agent Gonen Ben Itzhak, who was the handler of former Hamas informant Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founder, told Fox News Digital that, “Using visual intelligence, it’s easy to see when Hamas brings guns and ammunition into the hospital … and even with one human source, you can get intel on what is happening inside. From a signal point of view, the terrorists use phones and walkie-talkies, which can be intercepted.”
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SILENT OVER HAMAS’ USE OF GAZA HOSPITAL AS TERROR HQ
The IDF shows weapons seized during an ongoing operation to clear terrorists from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.(IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Almost no fighting took place inside the hospital, from which some 950 people were eventually evacuated, all before the IDF’s final raid. Since then, the Israeli military has facilitated and secured the transfer of the hospital’s operations to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, at the request of the Palestinians.
Even as the United Nations and the international community condemned Jerusalem for its anti-terrorism campaign at Kamal Adwan, a former Palestinian Authority official, told Fox News Digital that Hamas’ use of hospitals was “immoral” and known to endanger patients and health workers.
Adnan al-Damiri recently went viral on social media after the Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch organization flagged his Facebook post showing that Hamas had summoned a Gazan reporter for questioning to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Strip.
Photo showing weapons found inside and around Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza by IDF troops.(IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
“I made this post to show Palestinians that Hamas is doing everything against the people of Gaza, including in hospitals. Hamas claims its struggle is against the [Israeli] occupation, but the fact is they use our people,” al-Damiri said. He noted that the document posted to social media was sent to him by a friend of the Gazan who was summoned for interrogation.
“I know that it’s a real document. I am not afraid of Hamas,” he added.
CEASE-FIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS GETTING CLOSER AMID CONCERNS TERROR GROUP REARMING IN GAZA
In December 2023, Ahmed Kahlout, then-director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, told his Israeli interrogators that he and other staff were Hamas operatives. Kahlout described how Hamas used ambulances to hide operatives, transport terrorist squads and deliver a kidnapped IDF soldier.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza, told Fox News Digital that his “resistance movement understands very well the importance of respecting international humanitarian law and its obligations, and understands very well the needs of our people for civil services and the importance of protecting them.
The bodies of Noa Marciano, pictured here, and Yehudit Weiss were discovered by the IDF in the vicinity of Shifa Hospital last year.(Courtesy: Bring Them Home Now)
“I can confidently say that Hamas hasn’t used any hospital as a military base or a shelter for fighters,” he continued. “Regarding all the aggressions against hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Israel wasn’t able in any case to prove or to give serious or neutral evidence for its claims,” he said.
“We call for the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was kidnapped by Israeli forces, with dozens of other medics. Israel is fully responsible and accountable for their lives. Dr. Safiya isn’t a Hamas member,” added Naim.
Hamas terrorists emerging from the shadows as they surround Red Cross vehicles.(TPS-IL)
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A month after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, the IDF already began publishing evidence of Hamas’s use of hospitals, in particular, for terror purposes. In one recording from November 2023, a Gaza health official can be heard confirming that Hamas had stored more than half a million liters (over 132,000 gallons) of fuel under Shifa Hospital, the Strip’s largest medical center.
Hamas was accused of systematically turning Shifa into a major command center and even storing weapons in the MRI building. On Nov. 19, 2023, the IDF released surveillance footage of armed terrorists bringing hostages into Shifa. The IDF discovered the remains of two Israeli hostages, Noa Marciano and Yehudit Weiss, in the vicinity of Shifa last year.
The three Israeli hostages freed in the first phase of the cease-fire deal with Hamas were all spotted carrying paper “gift bags” with the terror organization’s logo. The bags reportedly contained a map of Gaza, photos of the women from their time in captivity, and certificates reading “release decision,” according to Hebrew-language media.
Emily Damari, Romi Goren and Doron Steinbrecher, all of whom were kidnapped by Hamas during the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, returned to Israel on Sunday as part of a cease-fire deal. All three women have been reunited with their families after spending over 15 months in captivity.
BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
Romi Gonen, right, and her mother Merav hold each other near kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Romi was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza.(AP/Israeli Army)
A representative for Goren’s family says her bag also contained a necklace, CNN reported, adding that the Israel Security Agency confiscated the items Hamas gave the women.
“I am relieved to report that after her release, Emily is doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated. I am also happy that during her release the world was given a glimpse of her feisty and charismatic personality,” Mandy Damari, mother of Emily Damari, said in a statement released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum on X. “In Emily’s own words, she is the happiest girl in the world; she has her life back.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked Netanyahu for securing the release of Damari, who is also a British citizen.
ISRAELI INTEL INDICATES HAMAS HELD HOSTAGES AT NEW GAZA HOSPITAL
Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy are seen near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, on Sunday, Jan. 19.(AP/Israeli Army)
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum also released a statement by Steinbrecher’s family in which they thanked the people of Israel and President Donald Trump for his support.
“A special thank you to the people of Israel for their warm embrace, unwavering support, and the strength they gave us during our darkest moments. We also extend our gratitude to President Trump for his significant involvement and support, which meant so much to us.”
A Hamas official confirmed that four of the seven remaining Israeli female hostages will be released on Saturday, Jan. 25, according to reports.
The cease-fire and hostage deal involves Hamas gradually releasing 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza over the next six weeks in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 prisoners and detainees from the West Bank and Gaza.
The family of Doron Steinbrecher welcome her back to freedom in an emotional reunion in Israel. (Ma’ayan Toaf (GPO))
As part of the deal, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Damari, Goren and Steinbrecher. Crowds of Palestinians in the West Bank cheered and some reportedly waved Hamas flags in celebration of the detainees’ return.
ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASE-FIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leadership announced a shakeup as Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said he handed in his resignation and requested to leave his role later this year.
“I informed the Minister of Defense today (Tuesday) that by virtue of my recognition of my responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7th, and at a time when the IDF has significant achievements and is in the process of implementing the agreement to release our hostages, I have requested to leave my role on March 6th, 2025,” Halevi said in a statement released by the IDF.
“Until then, I will complete the IDF’s inquiries into the events of October 7th and strengthen the IDF’s readiness for security challenges.”
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In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said “I would like to express my appreciation to the Chief of Staff and thank him for his contribution to the IDF throughout his years of service as a fighter and as a commander, and for his part in the great achievements of the IDF in the difficult war that was forced upon us.”
Netanyahu also commended Halevi on his years of service and credited him for some of the country’s “great achievements.”
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced his resignation Tuesday, taking responsibility for the military’s failures during the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
His departure, set for March 2025, marks the end of a decorated four-decade military career and has ignited political turmoil, with opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling on the Israeli leader to step down.
“On the morning of October 7, the IDF under my command failed in its mission to protect Israel’s citizens. This failure weighs on me every day and will do so for the rest of my life,” Halevi wrote in his resignation letter, addressing the IDF’s failure during the unprecedented assault by Hamas, which left over 1,400 Israelis dead and dozens abducted.
Despite the October 7 tragedy, Halevi highlighted the IDF’s achievements under his leadership, including operations that weakened Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s regional influence. “The IDF managed to rise from a very challenging starting point to conduct intense combat over more than a year and three months across seven theaters of operation,” he stated. “The military achievements of the IDF have transformed the Middle East.”
BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi holds a situational assessment and discussion with reserve commanders on the Lebanese border.(IDF Spokesman’s Unit)
Halevi said, “The objectives of the war have not yet been fully achieved. The IDF will continue fighting to dismantle Hamas’s governing capabilities, secure the return of all hostages, and strengthen security conditions to ensure the safe return of residents to their homes.” He emphasized that his resignation followed the cease-fire and a new deal for hostage returns.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Halevi for his service in a statement from his office: “The Prime Minister thanked the Chief of Staff for his many years of service and leadership during the War of Revival across seven fronts, which brought significant achievements to the State of Israel.” Defense Minister Israel Katz also praised Halevi’s contributions, noting, “He will continue to fulfill his duties and oversee an orderly transition process until the end of his tenure.”
Halevi’s resignation marks the most significant exit from Israel’s security establishment in the wake of the events of Oct. 7. Netanyahu has declined to take responsibility for those failures, repeatedly stating that accountability will come only after the war.
ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS
Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, on May 27, 2024.(Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Opposition leaders used Halevi’s resignation to escalate criticism of Netanyahu. Opposition leader Yair Lapid stated, “I salute Lieutenant General Halevi for his integrity. Now it’s time for the Prime Minister and his disastrous government to take responsibility and resign.” Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz echoed this, calling Halevi’s decision ethical and commendable. “The government must follow his example and establish a state commission of inquiry to restore public trust,” he added. Avigdor Lieberman also urged Netanyahu and his cabinet to step down.
To date, the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of Oct. 7 has not been approved by the Israeli government. Knesset member Orit Farkash-Hacohen announced that she will submit a bill on Wednesday to establish such a commission, following the resignation of the IDF chief of staff.
Families of Oct. 7 victims demanded accountability from both the military and government, calling for a state inquiry. “We will not rest until a commission is established to prevent future disasters,” they said in a statement.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday held meetings at Mount Hermon with senior defense and security officials.(IDF)
Halevi’s resignation adds to pressure on Netanyahu, whose government faces historically low approval from the public, according to recent opinion polls.
Speculation over Halevi’s successor has already begun, with leading candidates including Eyal Zamir, the current director-general of the Ministry of Defense who previously served as deputy chief of staff under former Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi. Other candidates for the position include Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin and the current deputy chief of staff, Amir Baram, who reportedly asked Halevi to step down several weeks ago.
