In a farewell letter to officers, he wrote, \u201cWe did not live up to what was expected of us, what we expect of ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my first conversation with the brigade after October 7, even before we had clarified the first detail, I made it clear that in the moral world in which I live, I intend to take responsibility,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\t At the time, the IDF described Saar as \u201can officer full of merit\u201d who made significant contributions to Israel\u2019s security, with then-chief of staff Herzi Halevi thanking him for his years of service.<\/p>\n Former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, now a centrist lawmaker, eulogized Saar as a \u201cdedicated and talented officer\u201d whose service in the intelligence branch was \u201clengthy and important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked at the [October 7] failure with courage, took responsibility for it and continued with critical intelligence operations in the war\u2019s continuation after the huge failure,\u201d Eisenkot said.<\/p>\n According to the former IDF head, Saar was one of the only officers who urged the military immediately after the massacre to concentrate its efforts on Gaza rather than expanding the hostilities to other areas. \u201cHe was part of preventing a national strategic mistake,\u201d Eisenkot said. He leaves behind a wife and three children.<\/p>\n
If so, we have a year-end request.\u00a0<\/p>\n Every day during the past two years of war and rising global antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fact-based coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.\u00a0<\/p>\n We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So as 2025 draws to a close, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.<\/p>\n So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/10_53-640x400.jpeg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF chief Aviv Kohavi and head of Intelligence Research Amit Saar meet with Moroccan military officials, July 20, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n
.
Before taking over as head of the Military Intelligence Research Department, Saar was an intelligence officer in the Southern Command.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tIs The Times of Israel important to you?\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll give\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll give\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DH-new-headshot-circular.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n