Residents in the Eshkol district, part of the Gaza Envelope, told Gaza Division commander LTC Avi Rosenfeld that he does not bear sole responsibility for the outbreak of war with Hamas on October 7th, an event that led to the slaughter of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of some 250 others. Rosenfeld retired from the IDF on Sunday over the tragedy.
IDF Gaza Division Commander Resigns: ‘I Failed to Protect the Gaza Envelope’
Eshkol Regional Council head Gadi Yarkoni addressed a letter to Rosenfeld, telling him that responsibility for the disaster “does not rest on your shoulders alone.”
Yarkoni acknowledged that the massacre “shook our communities and caused a deep rift that will take a long time to heal,” adding that yes, residents of the region did indeed blame Rosenfeld — but noted there were others who were also to blame for the security failure.
“Since that day we have felt the weight of the deep responsibility that rests upon you, along with your determination to restabilize the line of defense,” he wrote.
“Your retirement from the IDF comes as the embodiment of your values, in the spirit of the IDF, and your own personality.”
