Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi said on Sunday he was "fully responsible" for what happened on October 7 when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel.
"Every day, I feel its weight on my shoulders, and in my heart I fully understand its significance," he said.
"I am the commander who sent your sons and daughters into battle, from which they did not return, and to positions from which they were kidnapped."
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Some 250 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped by militants and taken to Gaza during the October 7 attack by Hamas.
Israel estimates that 128 are still being held captive there, including 36 who the military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign aimed at eliminating Hamas in Gaza has killed at least 35,034 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
