‘Fifty Palestinians must die for every October 7 victim, even if they're children' – audio of former IDF intelligence chief leaked
'The fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations. OK, you humiliated, you slaughtered, you murdered, everything is true,' the former military chief said. It is unclear when the statements were made, but Gaza's health ministry has reported that more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 attacks in 2023, when Hamas massacred around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.
'The price, I said before the war... for everything that happened on October 7, for every person on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die,' Mr Haliva said in a translation reported by the Jerusalem Post and other media. 'It doesn't matter now if they are children. I'm not speaking out of revenge, I'm speaking out of a message to future generations. They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the price.'
The term 'Nakba' translates to 'catastrophe' in Arabic and is used to describe the 1948 war which led to the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians during the establishment of the Israeli state.
Mr Haliva was the IDF's head of military intelligence when the October 7 attacks happened. He resigned from his position in April last year over his 'leadership responsibility', becoming the first senior IDF officer to do so.
It remains unclear who Mr Haliva was speaking to in the lengthy recordings, as Channel 12 does not identify them.
He claims throughout the recordings that the Israeli military is not the only organisation responsible for the failures that led to the attacks. He pointed fingers at Israel's political leadership and the country's home security service, Shin Bet, for believing Hamas would not carry out an attack. The Independent has contacted the IDF for comment.
Mr Haliva responded to Channel 12's reporting by expressing his regret for the recorded conversations. 'The leaked recordings were published from things said in a closed forum, and I can only regret that,' he said.
He called the recordings 'fragments of partial things, which cannot reflect the full picture – certainly when it comes to complex, detailed issues, most of which are highly classified.'
'The October 7 disaster occurred on my watch as head of the Intelligence Division', he said, adding: 'I bear ultimate responsibility for what happened.'
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Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Israel studies Hamas offer to release hostages in exchange for ceasefire and release of prisoners
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The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Why has Sally Rooney been warned over supporting Palestine Action - and why did the UK ban it?
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Irish Post
7 hours ago
- Irish Post
Northern Irish politicians lead petition for Prime Minister to recall parliament over Gaza crisis
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