Daijiworld Media Network - Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv, Aug 19: Former Israeli military intelligence chief Major General Aharon Haliva has come under fire after leaked audio recordings, aired by Israel’s Channel 12, quoted him as saying that the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza were “necessary” for future generations.

“For everything that happened on October 7, for every one person on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die. It doesn’t matter now if they are children,” Haliva was heard saying in the recording. He reportedly described the killing of more than 50,000 people in Gaza as “necessary,” adding, “Every now and then, they need a Nakba to feel the price.”

The Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel. Gaza’s death toll surpassed 50,000 in March.

The remarks triggered sharp criticism, with Hamas saying the audio proved that attacks on Palestinians were part of Israel’s high-level policy.

Haliva had led Israeli intelligence during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people and saw 250 others kidnapped in southern Israel. He resigned in April 2024, citing responsibility for intelligence failures leading to the assault.

Channel 12 did not disclose the recipient of Haliva’s comments. Responding to the report, Haliva admitted the remarks were from a “closed forum” but claimed they were “fragments of partial things” that did not reflect the complete context.