IDF chief said to order use of ‘War of Revival’ as only name for 2-year conflict

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has instructed the military to refer to the ongoing war exclusively as the “War of Revival,” the name given to it by the government in October, according to multiple Hebrew media reports.

Under the directive, all IDF communications — including ceremonies, speeches, documents and internal correspondence –- will use the new name to ensure uniformity.

The move follows a government decision on October 19 to formally change the war’s name from “Iron Swords” to “War of Revival.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that after two years of continuous fighting, the name reflects how the campaign began, adding, “We rose from the terrible disaster of October 7.”

The name has been heavily criticized by opponents of the government as an attempt to reframe the disaster of October 7 and the ensuing, gruelling war as an overall triumph. Many parents of soldiers killed in the war have said they will not allow their children’s gravestones to be changed to incorporate the new name.

Kan news reported last week that the cost of implementing the name change is estimated at around NIS 2 million ($628,000).

The October proposal argued that “Iron Swords” was intended as a temporary operational name, while the new title reflects the war’s expansion into multiple fronts and its ostensible achievements.

Despite its formal name, many in Israel refer to the conflict as the “October 7 war.”