Jerusalem: Israel’s military spy chief has resigned after taking ­responsibility for failures leading to the October 7 massacre by ­terrorist group Hamas.

Major General Aharon Haliva is the first high-ranking official to step down for failing to prevent the attack that shocked Israel and the world.

The intelligence chief admitted his team had not lived “up to the task we were entrusted with” when about 1200 Israelis were killed in the attacks.

“Major General Aharon Haliva, in co-ordination with the chief of the general staff, has requested to end his position, following his leadership responsibility as the head of the intelligence directorate for the events of October 7,” the military said on Monday.

“It was decided that MG Aharon Haliva will end his position and retire from the IDF (army), once his successor is appointed in an orderly and professional process.”

In his resignation letter, General Haliva, who served in the force for 38 years, took responsibility for failing to prevent the attack.

“On Saturday, October 7th 2023, Hamas committed a deadly surprise attack against the state of Israel,” he wrote.

“The intelligence division under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with.

“I carry that black day with me ever since. Day after day, night after night, I will forever carry with me the terrible pain of the war.”

General Haliva called for a “thorough investigation into factors and circumstances” that led to the attack.

Since the massacre, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas and is engaged in a blistering assault against the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian territory’s health ministry said more than 34,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, most of them women and children.

The resignation came as the US is poised to pass sanctions against an Israeli battalion accused of human rights abuses in the West Bank, in an unprecedented move that has drawn condemnation from Israeli leaders.

The decision against the Netzah Yehuda battalion is expected to be announced in days and would be the first time Washington has placed sanctions on an ­Israeli Defence Forces unit.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was the “height of absurdity”, and his ­coalition partner Benny Gantz wrote that the sanctions would set “a dangerous precedent”.

The battalion, which started as a unit for ultra-Orthodox conscripts and attracted extremist ­Israeli settlers in the West Bank, would not be eligible to receive US military aid or training.

Washington has targeted several right-wing Israelis associated with the right-wing settler movement in the territory, including a senior aide to hardline National ­Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

In late 2022, the US State ­Department directed embassy staff in ­Israel to investigate alleged abuses in the West Bank by the Netzah Yehuda battalion.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, without providing details, said at the weekend that his ­department was conducting investigations into the alleged abuses.

“I think it’s fair to say that you’ll see results very soon. I’ve made ­determinations; you can expect to see them in the days ahead,” he said.

Although the allegations precede the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza, the suggestion of any sanctions against Israeli forces drew an angry response from Mr Netanyahu.

“At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of ­absurdity and a moral low,” he posted on social media platform X.

The latest violence in the West Bank erupted on Saturday when Israeli troops raided the Nur Shams refugee camp and killed 10 militants, the military said. Camp residents gave a different account.

Niaz Zandeq, 40, said his son Jehad was shot dead by an Israeli soldier on his 15th birthday. Neighbours said troops told Jehad to leave his uncle’s house, then shot him as he stepped out of the front door with his hands up. The Israeli army has not responded to residents’ allegations.

A stand-off between Iran, which backs Hamas in Gaza, and Israel ­appeared to have been defused after days of mounting tension when ­Israel conducted a limited ­retaliatory airstrike against Iran on Friday in response to a barrage of missiles and drones fired by Tehran.

Overnight on Sunday, rockets were fired from northern Iraq at a military base in Syria housing a US-led coalition in the first major attack against coalition forces in several weeks.