Zamir says ‘not easy’ to sanction officers who failed on Oct. 7, but necessary to preserve trust in IDF

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says it was not easy for him to issue sanctions against officers over their roles in the October 7, 2023, failures, but stresses that it is necessary to maintain trust in the military.

“The IDF is committed to a thorough, professional, and in-depth inquiry of everything that occurred on that terrible day, and out of this commitment, I carried out a series of steps to advance the matter, including the establishment of an independent review team to examine the inquiries and their quality,” he says.

“My conclusions present an unequivocal picture: the IDF failed in its principal mission on October 7: to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” Zamir says.

“This is a severe, resounding, and systemic failure that relates to decisions and conduct before and during the event. The lessons of that day are many and important, and they must serve as our compass for the future, toward which I intend to lead the army,” he continues.

“Accordingly, I have decided, with great seriousness, to take personal decisions regarding certain officials who served on October 7. This decision is complex and derives from my responsibility to balance systemic and command considerations with the needs of the IDF in a volatile period with threats on all fronts,” Zamir says.

“My subordinates, it is not easy to make decisions that impact people I value and who have dedicated their lives to the security of the state; people with whom I have fought for decades. Alongside this, before my eyes stands the obligation to draw a clear line for command responsibility. This is not a responsibility we choose to take upon ourselves, but one we bear by virtue of being commanders in the IDF,” he continues.

“If we do not sharpen the meaning of responsibility, trust in the system will erode, and that trust is the foundation of our ability to fight, to win, and to defend the State of Israel,” Zamir says.

Zamir says that the commanders who were dismissed or censured “are among our finest commanders.”

“All of them have dedicated most of their lives to the IDF and the State of Israel. The vast majority of them have had a direct part in the operational successes the IDF has achieved over the past two years,” he says.

“I will continue to lead the IDF in the light of truth, and out of responsibility and devotion to the mission,” Zamir adds.