On the 16th local time, the “Jerusalem Post” and other media outlets reported, citing a leaked recording, that Aharon Haliva, the former director of the Military Intelligence Department of the Israeli Defense Forces, believed that the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 was a failure that exposed the need for deep structural reforms in Israel’s defense system, and criticized the current Israeli government members for lacking experience in national security. Haliva also made strong remarks about the casualties in Gaza, stating that the current death toll of 50,000 in Gaza was “necessary.”
△Gaza Strip (stock image)
In the recording, Haliva said, “Fifty thousand people have died in Gaza, and this is necessary for the future generations of Israel. For everything that happened on October 7, 2023, every Israeli who died must be avenged by the death of 50 Palestinians. It doesn’t matter if they are children now. I am not seeking revenge, I am speaking for future generations. Palestinians need to experience a ‘disaster’ occasionally to feel the cost.”
△Gaza Strip (stock image)
The Hamas movement issued a statement on the evening of the 16th strongly condemning the remarks. The statement said that Haliva’s statement clearly stated that the death of 50,000 Palestinians was a deliberate and targeted goal, and that every Israeli death should be avenged by the death of fifty Palestinians, “regardless of whether they are children or women.” This statement is undoubtedly powerful evidence of the extinction policies pursued by the Israeli government, and further proof that the crimes committed against the Palestinian people are high-level decisions and official policies made at the political and security levels.
The statement calls on the United Nations and its agencies, especially the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, to record these remarks and initiate a process to prosecute Israeli leaders.
On the 16th local time, the health department of the Gaza Strip issued a statement, stating that since the outbreak of a new large-scale conflict between Israel and Palestine on October 7, 2023, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused 61,897 deaths and 155,660 injuries. (From Zhao Bing at the Central Desk)