Cabinet confirms Eyal Zamir as Israeli army’s 24th chief of staff
Former director of Defense Ministry will take over from Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who is resigning on March 5 over IDF’s October 7 failures
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli cabinet on Sunday officially voted to confirm Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir as the next Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, clearing the final hurdle for him to step into the role next month.
Zamir, the former director general of the Defense Ministry, will be taking over from outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation over the military’s failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.
He will officially become the 24th IDF commander on March 5 at 4 p.m., following a handover ceremony.
Zamir was tapped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier this month. Last week, the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, led by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, approved him as the next chief of staff.
Katz on Friday selected former Ground Forces chief Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai for the position of Zamir’s deputy.
Halevi announced his departure last month after only two years in the role rather than the traditional four. He had long been expected to step down once the war in Gaza began winding down over the military failures that enabled the disaster of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack to occur.
A joint statement issued by Katz’s and Netanyahu’s offices said the cabinet approval was made “following a professional and meticulous process, and it reflects the great trust in his rich experience to lead the IDF at present.”
Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he expects that during Zamir’s tenure, Israel will have great achievements.
“Even when he served as my military secretary, I was impressed by Eyal Zamir’s commitment to the country, his commitment to the IDF, and the fact that his approach is geared toward offense,” Netanyahu said.
“We expect that during his service, perhaps even in the near future, we will reach all these great achievements, which will change not only the situation of Israel but also the face of the entire Middle East,” he said.
Katz in the meeting said the IDF needs “a strong and victorious army, and I am convinced by Eyal Zamir’s ability to lead the IDF to the defeat [of Israel’s enemies] and victories on all fronts.”
“I am sure that he will navigate the IDF wisely and responsibly and will work to implement the lessons from October 7, to strengthen the IDF. His success is our success,” Katz added.
Once he enters the role, Zamir will be responsible for appointing numerous commanders, both because appointments of senior officers have been on hold, and because several top generals are expected to follow in Halevi’s footsteps and resign over October 7.
Zamir, 59, was considered twice to lead the IDF previously, in 2018 and 2022. Ultimately, however, Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kohavi and Halevi were selected instead, respectively.
Born in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, Zamir will be the first military chief in Israel’s history to have started his service in the Armored Corps.
Zamir joined the military in 1984. After completing the tank officer’s training course, he rose through the ranks and went on to command the 7th Armored Brigade in 2003 and the 36th Armored Division in 2009.
Between 2012 and 2015, he was Netanyahu’s military secretary.
After leaving the premier’s service, he was appointed commander of the IDF Southern Command, overseeing the military response to violent protests organized by the Hamas terror group along the Gaza border.
Between 2018 and 2021, he served as deputy IDF chief of staff, his final role in the army at the time, before heading to the United States to become a visiting research fellow at the Washington Institute think tank.
In 2023, he was appointed director general of the Defense Ministry, where he served until earlier this month. Itamar Graf, the Defense Ministry deputy director and head of its planning division, was appointed by Katz as acting director-general.
