ISTANBUL

Israel’s Channel 12 aired leaked recordings of former military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. (retired) Aharon Haliva, in which he openly justified large-scale Palestinian deaths in Gaza as a deliberate policy message.

"For every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die," Haliva said in the tapes, calling the staggering death toll "necessary for future generations." He went on to say that "they need a Nakba every now and then to feel the price," in reference to the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians.

Haliva can be heard insisting that the killings are "not revenge," but rather a "deterrent to future generations," eliciting outrage for portraying mass civilian casualties as a strategic necessity.

The former intelligence chief, who resigned in April 2024 after acknowledging responsibility for the failures that preceded the Oct. 7 attack, also lashed out at Israel’s Shin Bet, saying the security service bore as much responsibility for the disaster as military intelligence. He further criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials for refusing to resign despite what he called a “catastrophic national failure.”

Haliva’s remarks marked the first time such extreme statements have been aired from a senior Israeli figure, exposing the brutality with which mass Palestinian deaths have been justified in the Gaza war.

Israel has killed nearly 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.