Likud MK Amit Halevi accused former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi of failure to understand Hamas and criticized the integration of political considerations into military decisions during an interview with Maariv on Monday.

“The IDF did not understand the enemy, and therefore Hamas was not defeated,” Halevi stated. The MK, who was suspended from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in May due to controversy over extending emergency draft orders for the IDF, also addressed the decision to halt humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip following the collapse of the ceasefire in January.

Despite official denials, thousands of liters of fuel allegedly made it into Gaza. A senior officer called Halevi, reportedly in tears, saying, “How can you be part of this? On the one hand, you send us to fight the enemy, and on the other, you bring in fuel that allows him to kill us.”

Halevi responded, “I’m not really a part of this. On the contrary, I criticize this unfortunate decision, and I said to myself  - that’s it, it can’t be done anymore.”

This incident was one of many clashes Halevi has faced during the ongoing conflict. In the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, emotions ran high over the extension of warrants. Halevi, who initiated the vote, unexpectedly sided with the opposition and voted against it.

Likud MK Amit Halevi speaks at a dicussion in the Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel, March 27, 2025 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Likud MK Amit Halevi speaks at a dicussion in the Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel, March 27, 2025 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
“Everything came down to that moment,” he reflected. “Hundreds of hours of agony and suffering, and especially of public responsibility.”

Military decisions are affected by politics

When asked whether it is the political echelon's role to set the military’s operational goals, Halevi emphasized the importance of clarity in military decision-making.

“When political considerations do not work against the enemy, and you must explain to him with guns and tanks, then you turn to the army,” Halevi said. “But then the army tells us, ‘Your goals are not suitable from a political, legal, or economic point of view.’”

According to Halevi, the military must maintain focus on military priorities without interference from political agendas. He recalled questioning an IDF major-general about why officers are taught international relations, to which the general responded that it was necessary for dealing with political considerations.

“Why do political considerations concern you? You will only come to us with military considerations,” Halevi said. “I must be familiar with the political issue because you will consider political considerations.”

Halevi disagreed with this logic: “His intention was that politicians would consider foreign, lowly political considerations, and therefore, he is the one who should be the responsible adult.”

IDF's failures and Hamas's survival

Addressing the broader failure of the IDF in the war, Halevi criticized the military leadership for not acknowledging the depth of their failure after the October 7 attacks.

“Taking responsibility is the first thing to do in acknowledging failures and learning lessons,” Halevi said. “This was not done. The IDF, after October 7, did not recognize the depth of the failure. Fighting with the same method and incurring terrible costs to no avail is not called taking responsibility. It means continuing to fight with the same perception and the same mistakes.”

He pointed to the failure to eliminate Hamas as a primary example of the IDF's missteps. “What is the point of disassembling Hamas if, two minutes later, it regroups?” Halevi asked. “The IDF did not understand the enemy, and therefore, Hamas was not defeated.”

Halevi’s criticism also extended to the continued presence of Hamas, which, despite facing an advanced military, continues to inflict casualties. “Just a few weeks ago, terrorists jumped near the fence, and five soldiers were killed along with many wounded. Hamas is alive, breathing, and kicking even though it is faced with an army that bombed Iran and Yemen thousands of kilometers away and previously conquered Gaza in one day.”

Government role in military decisions

When asked whether the government's decisions were a source of the military’s struggles, Halevi acknowledged the complexities of war. “I am in favor of the war; it is necessary, and we are fighting with everything we have. Yet I am in favor of improving military thinking, not just improving the tools,” Halevi said.

Halevi also criticized the lack of oversight over military strategies. As a member of the Knesset, he argued, it is his responsibility to challenge the government and military decisions.

“Therefore, in my role as an MK, when a plan is being implemented that I see as being a continuous failure, is brought before me and I am asked to vote for it without asking any questions, I am outraged - because it means that there is no need for a Knesset at all," he said.

“The role of MKs is to oversee the government and its branches, including the military branch, to ask questions and receive answers,” Halevi concluded.