The military announced that the head of Israeli intelligence resigned Monday due to the failures surrounding Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Oct. 7, becoming the first high-ranking official to resign over his role in Israel’s deadliest attack in history.

Major-General Aharon Haliva’s decision may lead to more resignations from Israel’s top security officials over Hamas’ attack. In that incident, militants broke through Israel’s border defences and rampaged unchallenged through Israeli communities for hours, killing 1,200 people – most of them civilians – while taking 250 hostages in Gaza. This attack sparked the ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas, which is now in its 7th month.

“The intelligence department under my command failed to meet the challenge we were given. Since then, I have carried that dark day around with me, day in and day out, night in and night out. Haliva wrote, “I will always carry with me the terrible pain of war,” in his resignation letter. The military provided it.

Haliva and other military and security officials were expected to resign due to the failures and scale of the Oct. 7 attack.

The timing of these resignations is unclear, because Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza while also fighting the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in the north. The tensions between Israel and Iran have also risen following the attacks between both enemies. Military experts say that resigning at a moment when Israel is fighting on many fronts could be seen as irresponsible.

Haliva publicly stated shortly after the attack that he was responsible for the failure to prevent the attack as the head the military department, which is responsible for providing intelligence warnings and alerts daily to the government and military.

Haliva, and others, have taken responsibility for the failure to stop the attack. Others, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not. He has said that he would answer any tough questions regarding his role, but hasn’t directly accepted direct blame for the attack. He has not yet indicated that he would step down despite a growing movement of protesters demanding an election soon.

Israeli opposition leader Yair lapid welcomed the resignation and said it was “justified” and “dignified”.

He wrote that Prime Minister Netanyahu should do the same on X, formerly Twitter.

Israel’s security apparatus was caught completely off-guard by the Hamas attack that occurred on a Jewish Holiday. Hamas’ attack shattered Israelis’ faith in their military, which was seen by many Jews as the most trusted institution in the country. The resignation may help restore some trust.

The resignation was announced as Jews across the globe prepared to celebrate Passover. This week-long holiday, which begins on Monday evening, commemorates the biblical exodus from Egypt of Jews. Passover will take on a somber tone this year, with approximately 130 people still in Gaza. For many Israelis it is hard to imagine a celebration of freedom while dozens are still being held hostage.

According to the local health minister, Hamas’s attack sparked the war in Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 34,000 Palestinians. According to the local health ministry, there is no distinction made between combatants and civilians in their count. However, at least two thirds of those killed are women and children.

Gaza’s two biggest cities have been devastated by the fighting, which has forced 80% of its population to flee into other areas of the coastal enclave. The war has caused a humanitarian disaster that has led to warnings about an imminent famine.

The attack sent shockwaves throughout the entire region. The tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel’s cities and towns have reached beyond Hezbollah, Iran and other countries.

The Israeli police reported that on Monday, a car had hit pedestrians in Jerusalem and lightly injured three. Security camera footage showed two men exiting their car, armed with a rifle, before fleeing. Later, the police said that they had arrested both men.