ISTANBUL

Former Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi hailed the Palestinian group Hamas for “deceiving” Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, according to Israeli media on Sunday.

"I have no choice but to praise Hamas for the deception it perpetrated on us,” Halevi said in a recording aired by Israel’s Army Radio.

"They used disturbances and humanitarian concerns to lull us to sleep and prepare the attack - and they succeeded,” he added.

"In all the military exercises we've done and in all the discussions we had, we didn't think that 5% of what happened (that day) could happen," the former army chief said.

Halevi left his post on March 6 and took responsibility for the Hamas attack, in which hundreds were killed and over 250 others taken captive.

The Israeli army launched a brutal military campaign following the Hamas attack, killing more than 48,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring over 111,000 others since October 2023.

The onslaught, which left Gaza in ruins, came to a halt under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took hold in January.

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 military campaign.