By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Netanyahu has accused Bar of an intelligence failure over the October 7, 2023, resistance operation led by Hamas.

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency announced on Monday that he will step down on June 15 following a dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The dispute led last month to Ronen Bar’s dismissal, which was later frozen by the Israeli Supreme Court.

Ronen Bar, head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, announces that he’ll officially step down from his post on June 15 pic.twitter.com/jbeFhHd3Oy

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) April 29, 2025

“After 35 years of service, in order to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent replacement and professional overlap, I will end my role on June 15, 2025,” Ronen Bar said at a memorial ceremony for fallen Shin Bet personnel.

Bar said the Shin Bet had “failed in providing an early warning” that day, adding that “All systems collapsed,” according to the Times of Israel.

He also reportedly stated that as the head of the organization, “I took responsibility for this.”

‘Greatest Intelligence Failure’

Netanyahu has accused Bar of an intelligence failure over the October 7, 2023, resistance operation led by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

In an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Sunday responding to testimony Bar submitted last week on the government’s decision to dismiss him, Netanyahu said: “Ronen Bar’s claim that he warned of an impending war and alerted all systems is false. Bar’s handling of the (October 2023) events constitutes the greatest intelligence failure in Israel’s history.”

Netanyahu Accuses Shin Bet Chief of ‘Greatest’ Intelligence Failure over Oct 7

The Times of Israel also reported that in remarks that might be seen as addressed to Netanyahu, Bar said in his speech that “The fulfillment of responsibility in practice is an inseparable part of personal example and the legacy of our leaders — and we have no legitimacy to lead without it.”

Citing the Yedioth Ahronoth, the Anaolu news agency reported that Bar admitted that “after many years across various fronts, everything collapsed in one night on the southern front — all systems failed, including the Shin Bet’s failure to provide an advance warning.”

He said the legal dispute was “not about me personally, but about preserving the independence of future Shin Bet leaders,” adding that he was prepared to cooperate with any future court proceedings.

Last week, Netanyahu formally asked the Supreme Court to force Bar to declare an exact date for his resignation.

Accusations against Netanyahu

Senior legal officials told Yedioth Ahronoth that Netanyahu’s move was a “transparent attempt to avoid submitting a sworn affidavit addressing serious accusations made by Bar and to buy time after the court recently rejected a similar request.”

It remains unclear whether Netanyahu plans to submit his own affidavit to the court, which would require him to respond formally to Bar’s claims, the report added.

Anadolu said that according to Yedioth Ahronoth, submitting a false affidavit could expose Netanyahu to criminal charges.

Shin Bet Chief Says Netanyahu Fired Him after Refusing to Meddle in Corruption Trial

Among other allegations, Bar revealed that Netanyahu pressured him to use the Shin Bet against protesters opposing the prime minister, to delay Netanyahu’s corruption trials under the pretext of security concerns, and to politicize the security agency.

In early April, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the government from dismissing Bar, appointing a replacement, or issuing directives to Shin Bet personnel pending the outcome of opposition petitions.

On March 20, the Netanyahu government approved Bar’s dismissal, which was supposed to take effect on April 10, but the court froze the decision on March 21.

Netanyahu justified his decision by citing a “loss of trust” following the Oct. 7 attacks. However, Bar hinted that political motives were behind his ouster, specifically his refusal to show “personal loyalty” to Netanyahu.

Former Shin Bet Chief’s Remarks

Meanwhile, a former head of the Shin Bet has accused Netanyahu of abandoning Israeli captives in Gaza and clinging to power for his personal gain.

“The truth is that our hostages in Gaza have been abandoned in favor of the government’s messianic ideology and by a prime minister in Benjamin Netanyahu who is desperate to cling to power for his own personal gain,” Ami Ayalon wrote in an op-ed published in the Guardian on Tuesday.

I used to run Israel’s security agency – now I’m sounding the alarm about our extremist government | Ami Ayalon https://t.co/eQYhQTKU5C

— Guardian Opinion (@theguardianfeed) April 29, 2025

“Our government is undermining the democratic functions of the state to shore up and protect its own power. It is forcing us into a perpetual war with no achievable military objectives, which can only result in more loss of life and hatred,” Ayalon continued.

Ayalon said 70 percent of the Israeli public agrees that there must be “a comprehensive end to the war in return for bringing our hostages home, and an election as soon as possible so that this government can be replaced.”

Letters of Support

The former security chief said thousands of military and intelligence personnel have signed petitions and letters demanding an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in return for Israeli captives.

According to the latest Israeli figures, nearly 150,000 Israelis have signed petitions demanding the return of hostages from Gaza and ending the war, Anadolu reported.

Over 11,000 Soldiers, Veterans, and Academics Push Netanyahu to End Gaza War

“We need our friends from outside Israel to express their support for the Israeli people and not an extremist government committed to unravelling the fabric of the state,” Ayalon said.

He warned that the “crisis we are facing is existential,” adding that “the very existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is under threat.”

Gaza’s Rising Death Toll

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing.

At least 14 Palestinians have been killed since dawn Tuesday as a result of ongoing Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported, citing medical sources.

The director of hospitals in the besieged enclave has reportedly called on the international community to… pic.twitter.com/Fs3c3oK0cd

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 29, 2025

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.

(PC, Anadolu)