Commander of IDF Southern Command's Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, submitted his resignation letter from the IDF on Tuesday, Israeli media reported.
The letter was addressed to the Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelman stated: "On October 7, the brigade under my command failed in its mission to protect the residents of the Gaza Envelope during the surprise outbreak of war. By the outcome, I failed."
Cohen, who has served as the Commander for the Northern Brigade and was in charge of oversight of the Nova music festival and Kibbutz's Be'eri and Nahal Oz, chose to manage the battles on October 7 from the division command center instead of from within the battlefield.
The findings in the IDF investigations showed that Cohen was responsible for the poor operational management at the Nahal Oz base before the war and was also responsible for other failures, such as not giving an accurate picture of the situation in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
A whiteboard that was found in Cohen's office showed marks of forces that were deployed to each Kibbutz during the October 7 attacks, and he listed elite units like Sayeret Matkal, Yaman, and Shayetet 13 as operating in Nahal Oz.
What did he write in his letter?
In his resignation letter, Cohen wrote: "I will never forget the killing fields of innocent civilians lying in their own blood, the inferno and heroism of the few forces under my command – standby squads and brave civilians, children of light against a barbaric terrorist army. I will never forget the deep sense of disappointment from the total surprise and the early hours in which we fought alone. The stench of death and the screams over the radio will never leave my memory."
"We recovered and regrouped, despite unimaginable losses both in the rear and on the front. We didn’t stop until we cleared the area of the last terrorists and launched a counterattack on the front lines – with a broken heart but a steadfast and determined spirit," he added.
Addressing the hostage families, he wrote, "The sons and daughters who fell are heroes and saints. I will forever bow my head in their memory."
He finished off his letter by saying that he will now be focusing on his "own personal healing and that of my family," and switched focus to the Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said, "Chief of Staff, the mission is not over! We must urgently bring back – yesterday already – our brothers languishing in captivity and provide a proper burial for our fallen! I am certain you will lead the army to a complete victory over the cowards. With salute to my fallen brothers and sisters in arms, best wishes for recovery to the wounded, and in prayer for the return of the hostages. ‘Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be courageous, and hope in the Lord’ (Psalms 27:14)."