The honeymoon between the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, General Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last February selected him to replace Herzi Halevi, appears to have been short-lived.
Zamir, the 24th chief of staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, has expressed doubts and resistance to Netanyahu's plan to invade Gaza. "If he does not agree, he should resign," sources in the prime minister's office said.
However, according to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Zamir was always the favorite to replace Halevi, who, by resigning in January, had taken responsibility for the failure of October 7. He managed to prevail over the other two candidates, General Amir Baram, Halevi's deputy, and General Tamir Yadai, the head of the Israel Defense Forces' ground forces. This was thanks to his considerable experience in managing security systems and national security challenges.
Previously, Zamir served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Head of the Southern Command of the Israeli Armed Forces, and Military Secretary to the Prime Minister. Appointed Director of the Defense Ministry in 2023 by then-Minister Yoav Gallant, Zamir had expressed his intention to resign in November of last year, but then withdrew at Katz's request.
On the eve of the release of the first three hostages, Zamir instructed the Ministry of Defense to make all resources available for the implementation of the agreement, the reception of the returned hostages, and support for their families.