Ejal Zamir, then Major General of the Israel Defense Forces, after signing the purchase of the Arrow 3 missile defence system by Germany. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
Keystone
Ejal Zamir is to become Israel's new Chief of General Staff. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had made the decision together with Defense Minister Israel Katz. The 59-year-old Zamir was previously Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In this role, he was also prominently involved in the sale of the Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany.
Keystone-SDA
01.02.2025, 21:06
SDA
The previous Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, announced his resignation more than 15 months after the start of the Gaza war. This is to take effect on March 6. In a statement, Halevi gave as his reason "the recognition of my responsibility for the failure of the Israeli army on October 7".
Several representatives of the army had already announced their resignation after October 7, 2023. In the unprecedented Hamas massacre in the Israeli border area, more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were deported to the Gaza Strip. The new Chief of Staff is expected to learn from the mistakes and lead a reorientation of the military.