Yal Zamir is the new head of the Israeli military

Last Updated on February 4, 2025 5:58 am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated retired Major General Eyal Zamir as the new chief of the Israeli military. The Prime Minister’s Office announced this in a statement on Saturday (February 1).

Indian media outlet NDTV reported this in a report on Sunday (February 2).

The statement said, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz agreed this (Saturday) evening to appoint Major General (Reg.) Eyal Zamir as the next chief (of the Israeli military). .”

Zamir replaces Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi. Halevi resigned on October 7, 2023, two days after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect, taking responsibility for failing to prevent Hamas attacks on Israel.

The 59-year-old Zamir has served as the director general of the Defense Ministry since 2023. Israeli media reported that he had retired from the military after losing his top post to Halevi. Zamir served as deputy chief of staff until 2021. He had previously been head of the army’s Southern Command, which is responsible for Gaza.

According to the Defense Ministry, as head of the Southern Command, Zamir led efforts to destroy attack tunnels that penetrate Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip.

Notably, shortly after Halevi’s announcement, the wartime head of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, also resigned in 2023 over the military’s failures.