Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, in a letter to Israeli soldiers, described October 7, 2023 as the day “we failed in our mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.” October 7 is “not only a day of remembrance, but also a call for deep self-reflection,” Halevi wrote about “admitting our mistakes and committing to learning from them.”
The military wing of Hamas has been defeated and the fight against the organization's terrorist structures will continue, said Halevi. Referring to the fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, he said the militia had been dealt a serious blow. “We are not stopping,” Halevi stressed. “We are destroying the capabilities of our enemies and will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt so that October 7th is never repeated.”