Israeli Channel 12 broadcast leaked recordings of the former head of military intelligence, Major General (retired) Aharon Haliva, in which he openly justified the mass deaths of Palestinians in Gaza as a deliberate political message.
“For every person killed on October 7th, 50 Palestinians must die,” Haliva said in the recordings, calling the staggering number of victims “necessary for future generations.”
He went on to say that “from time to time a Nakba is needed for them to feel the price,” referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948.
Haliva can be heard insisting that the killings “are not revenge,” but “a deterrent for future generations,” provoking outrage for portraying mass civilian casualties as a strategic necessity.
The former intelligence chief, who resigned in April 2024 after admitting responsibility for the failures that preceded the October 7th attack, also sharply criticized Israel’s Shin Bet, saying that the security service bears equal responsibility for the disaster as military intelligence.
Furthermore, he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials for refusing to resign despite what he called “a catastrophic national failure.”
Israel has killed nearly 61.900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the brink of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
