JERUSALEM — Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, concluding nearly five years as head of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), expressed deep remorse over the military’s failures leading to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, during a handover ceremony Tuesday.

Alian, speaking at the event, said he felt “profound pain and deep embarrassment” as an officer and commander for the “systemic failure of October 7.”

“As an army, we did not meet our most basic obligation to ensure the protection of the residents of the border communities and the State as a whole,” he said.

Alongside his regret, Alian noted pride in his tenure and contributions to the unit, which coordinates humanitarian and civilian matters in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and recently in Israeli-controlled areas of southern Syria.

Alian is set to take on a new role as liaison to the Druze population in Syria and Lebanon under the IDF’s Northern Command.

“Today, I conclude my role, but I commit to continue acting, for as long as I am able, for the security of the people of Israel and the State of Israel,” he added.

Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevi, a retired senior Israel Police officer, assumed leadership of COGAT in an unprecedented appointment — the first time a former top police official has been given such a high-ranking IDF position.

Halevi, who retired as deputy commissioner, previously led the Jerusalem and Southern districts, the Border Police, the Lahav 433 major crimes unit, and the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit.

In remarks at the ceremony, Halevi acknowledged the evolving challenges facing Israel.

“The State of Israel is currently facing major challenges, alongside significant opportunities,” he said. “Reality is changing rapidly, and new mechanisms are taking shape every day. Within this changing environment, the missions, challenges, and areas of responsibility of COGAT continue to grow.”

He said he had studied the unit extensively in recent months and recognized its potential to address current realities.

“Above all, I have learned that COGAT has a real capability to help realize the potential inherent in this period, and that a heavy responsibility rests on its shoulders to ensure that this happens,” Halevi added.

Halevi’s son, Chief Inspector Yitav Lev Halevi, 28, a Yamam commander, was killed in a May 2024 counterterrorism operation in the West Bank.

COGAT operates under the Defense Ministry and is commanded by an IDF major general. It handles coordination of civilian and humanitarian issues with Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as related matters in southern Syria.