"There is no choice — every now and then, they need a Nakba [the Arabic word for catastrophe] in order to feel the price."
It is not clear when he made the comments, but the death toll listed by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health passed 50,000 in March.
Haliva served as director of the Military Intelligence Directorate from 2021 until April 2024, when he stepped down over the security failings on October 7.
Speaking at the time of his resignation, he said: “We failed in our most important mission, and as head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, I bear full responsibility for the failure.”
Commenting on the recording, Haliva told Channel 12 that his comments were "fragments of partial things, which cannot reflect the full picture — certainly when it comes to complex, detailed issues, most of which are highly classified".
He added that they were made in a "closed forum", saying: "I can only regret that."
It comes after Hamas reportedly accepted a new proposal from Egyptian and Qatar mediators for a ceasefire in the Strip.
"The Hamas movement and the Palestinian factions have conveyed their approval on the proposal presented yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators," the group said in a statement.
The new deal is understood as being similar to the most recent proposal which would have seen a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for 10 live Israeli hostages being released.
This would be followed by "immediate negotiations" for a permanent peace deal, including a guarantee of no more "war and aggression", Hamas claimed.
However, it is unclear whether Israel is still ready for a two-phased deal, with Prime Minister Netanyahu noting: "We can see clearly that Hamas is under immense pressure."
And a government official reportedly indicated to the Times of Israel that Jerusalem remains committed to a comprehensive deal, including the release of all hostages in one phase, Hamas' disarmament and surrender, and the demilitarisation of Gaza.
"Israel’s position has not changed — [regarding both] the release of all the hostages and adherence to the other conditions defined for ending the war," they said.
No official response to the proposal has yet been provided by Israel, but one is expected to be sent by the end of the week.
