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After presenting the findings to commanders on Monday, the IDF's outgoing chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, said he took full responsibility for the failures.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Gen Halevi "for his many years of service and for commanding the IDF" during the war, saying it had "led to major achievements for Israel".

Gen Halevi is currently overseeing the IDF's compliance with a three-phase Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas that should see the remaining Israeli hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Gen Halevi said in a televised address on Tuesday that Hamas's military wing had been "severely damaged", with most of the group's leadership and military commanders have been killed along with almost 20,000 "operatives".

Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Halevi's decision and called on Netanyahu to follow suit.