Photo: Ministry of Defence
On Saturday, 1 February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Major General Eyal Zamir as the new Chief of Staff of the IDF (Israeli Armed Forces). He will replace Herzi Galevi, who resigned after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, The Times of Israel reports .
Why did Halevi resign?
General Herzi Galevi said he takes responsibility for the army’s failure to defend the country during the Hamas attack. In his address, he noted that he would step down on 6 March 2025 to ensure a smooth transition of leadership in the face of the ongoing war.
Along with Galevi, the commander of the Southern Command, Yaron Finkelman, who is responsible for the Gaza Strip, also resigned.
Earlier, in April 2024, Aaron Haliva, the IDF’s chief of intelligence, also resigned from his post due to failures in assessing the Hamas threat.
Who is Eyal Zamir?
General Eyal Zamir is an experienced military officer who has previously held a number of key positions:
- He was the head of the Southern Army Command responsible for the Gaza Strip.
- He was Prime Minister Netanyahu’ s Secretary of Military Affairs in 2012-2015.
- He served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff in 2018-2021.
- In 2023, he became Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defence.
Zamir’s appointment is expected to strengthen the army’s leadership in times of war and contribute to the country’s defence capabilities.
