Today (Sunday), Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir summoned a number of senior commanders and informed them of his decision to impose command measures on them, for command responsibility for the October seven-day events.
In addition to them, a number of lower-ranking officers were named to their commanders.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
According to the IDF spokesman's statement, "The IDF is committed to a thorough, professional and in-depth investigation of everything that happened on that terrible day, and out of this commitment, the Chief of Staff decided on a series of steps to advance the issue, including the establishment of an independent investigation team to examine the investigations and their quality.".
""The IDF failed in its primary mission on October 7th – to protect the citizens of the State of Israel. This is a serious, resounding and systemic failure, which concerns decisions and conduct before and during the event.".
""The Chief of Staff focused his decisions on senior commanders who have command responsibility that stems from their role in October 7. This responsibility is not a responsibility that we take on ourselves, but a responsibility that we bear by virtue of being senior commanders in the IDF.".
"The commanders who bear responsibility are among the most experienced and dedicated in the IDF, who have worked for years for the security of the country and have also led to unprecedented achievements in their years.".
Details of the command steps:
- Colonel (ret.) Aharon Haliva – The major general bore command responsibility for the events of the October Seven by virtue of his role as head of the Intelligence Division.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
- Champion Oded in Syuk – The Major General bore command responsibility for the events of the October Seven by virtue of his role as head of the Operations Division. His command and professional actions from that day forward and the achievements he brought the IDF to during the war were done with distinction, with an emphasis on leading the IDF's synchronization, planning, and execution of Operation 'Am Kalavi'.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
- Champion Yaron Finkelman – The Major General, who was at the beginning of his term, bore command responsibility for the events of October Seven by virtue of his role as commander of the Southern Command. His command and professional actions from that day on, the recovery and transition to the offensive during the war, were carried out with courage and determination, while leading the campaign in the Gaza Strip and then the process of delivering the investigations to the communities of the settlements.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
- Champion Tomer Bar – The Major General bore command responsibility for the failure of the force to meet the mission of protecting the country's skies against near-ground threats (drones) on October 7. The failure embodied in this event reflected broad systemic gaps throughout the IDF, which are currently being addressed as part of drawing lessons from the war. Major General Bar has led the Air Force in recent years to unprecedented multi-arena achievements, with an emphasis on leading Operation 'Am Kalavi'.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would receive a command note.
- Champion David Saar Salma – The Major General bore command responsibility for the events of October Seven by virtue of his role as Commander of the Navy and, in doing so, for the fact that penetration from the sea to the Zikim coast was not prevented. Major General Salma has led the Navy in the past two years to operational achievements in all theaters of war within the framework of the naval campaign.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would receive a command note.
- Champion Shlomi Binder – The Major General bore command responsibility for the events of the October Seven by virtue of his role as head of the Operations Division. The Major General was called to the position of head of the Intelligence Division by the previous Chief of Staff and has since led the division to operational successes in all arenas alongside significant reconstruction and change processes, in the midst of war. The Chief of Staff sees Major General Binder as the most suitable commander at this time to command the Intelligence Division in the face of the existing operational challenges.
The Chief of Staff decided that the Major General would receive a command note. The Chief of Staff also decided to accept his request that upon the end of his role as head of the Intelligence Division, he would retire from the IDF.
- Brigadier General C. – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his role as head of the Operations Division in the Intelligence Division. The Chief of Staff decided that Brigadier General G. would retire from the IDF.
- Brigadier General (ret.) Yossi Shariel – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his role as commander of Unit 8200.
The Chief of Staff decided that Brigadier General Shariel will be released from reserve service and will no longer serve in the IDF.
- Brigadier General (ret.) Avi Rosenfeld – He bore command responsibility for the events of October Seven by virtue of his role as commander of the Gaza Division. During the first year of the war, he continued to command the division and worked to stabilize the defense in his sector.
The Chief of Staff decided that Brigadier General Rosenfeld will be released from reserve service and will no longer serve in the IDF.
- Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Ariel Lubovsky – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his role as the intelligence officer of the Southern Command.
The Chief of Staff decided that Lieutenant Colonel Lubowski would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
- Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Haim Cohen – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his role as commander of the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division.
The Chief of Staff decided that Lieutenant Colonel Cohen would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Shariel Berkowitz – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his position in the Intelligence Division.
The Chief of Staff decided that Lieutenant Colonel Berkowitz would be released from reserve service and would no longer serve in the IDF.
- Lieutenant Colonel A. – He bore command responsibility for the October Seven events by virtue of his role as the intelligence officer of the Gaza Division.
The Chief of Staff decided that an immediate process will begin to end his service in the IDF.
As for officers Brigadier General Manor Yanai, Brigadier General Eliad Moati, and Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Avni, the Chief of Staff decided that there was no impediment to their continued service in the IDF.
In doing so, the Chief of Staff acted contrary to the decision of the Minister of Defense to delay and cancel the promotions of the three. The Chief of Staff determined that there was no impediment to the three officers' continued service in the IDF. As you may recall, in recent months, Defense Minister Katz decided to delay their promotions or cancel their appointments.
In a statement made by the Chief of Staff after the talks with the officers, he said:
""I am faced with the obligation to mark a clear line of command responsibility. This is not a responsibility that we take upon ourselves, but a responsibility that we bear by virtue of being commanders in the IDF. If we do not clarify the meaning of responsibility, trust in the system will erode. This trust is the basis for our ability to fight, win, and defend the State of Israel.
""It's not easy to make decisions about people I value, who I fought alongside for decades. All of the people whose names will be linked to those personal conclusions are our best commanders. The vast majority of them have a direct impact on the successes. We have a responsibility to them as a society as well. We shouldn't be a country that eats its commanders. We don't have that privilege.".
