The Israeli government has given its approval for the appointment of Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir as the next Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff on Sunday. Zamir, 59, will replace Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation on January 21 due to the military’s failures during the October 7 conflict. Halevi is scheduled to step down on March 5.
Zamir, born and raised in Eilat, began his career in the Armored Corps upon joining the army in 1984. Over the years, he progressed through the ranks, becoming a tank commander and eventually serving as Netanyahu’s military secretary from 2012 to 2015. From 2018 to 2021, Zamir held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff, and he has also worked as a visiting research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In 2023, he was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Defense.
Zamir was previously considered for the Chief of Staff role in 2018 and 2022. He holds degrees from Tel Aviv and Haifa Universities, as well as a graduate certification from Wharton University’s General Management Program.
The IDF Chief of Staff is appointed for a three-year term, with a potential one-year extension. The last time a Chief of Staff resigned before completing their term was Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz in 2007, following the IDF’s failures during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Calls have grown for the appointment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate political and military failures, particularly surrounding the October 7 incident. These commissions, which can summon witnesses and collect evidence, are headed by senior Supreme Court justices and may issue personal recommendations. However, the government is not bound to act on them. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the governing coalition have stated that an independent commission should be formed only after the conclusion of the ongoing war.
In April, the last state commission of inquiry, which investigated Israel’s worst civilian disaster — a stampede that killed 45 people at a holy site on Mount Meron — held Netanyahu personally responsible for the tragedy.