Former tank commander Eyal Zamir will on Wednesday become Israel's new armed forces chief, inheriting the task at a crucial time for the military after it acknowledged its "complete failure" to prevent Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.
Previously director of the defence ministry, Zamir will replace outgoing chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halev, who resigned admitting he failed to fulfil his mandate.
Zamir, 59, is being sworn in at a sensitive time in Israel's war with Hamas, with the ceasefire that took effect on January 19 hanging in the balance.
Announcing his appointment last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had high hopes that Zamir would help achieve Israel's goal of "absolute victory" against Hamas.
Zamir will also take over operations in the occupied West Bank, where the military has deployed tanks in recent weeks for the first time in 20 years.
His appointment also comes at a moment of high tension for Israel with its arch-foe Iran.
Zamir wrote in a 2022 policy paper for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that Israel needed to adopt a tougher approach in order to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Pushing for greater cooperation with the United States against what he called the "Iran axis", Zamir advocated "offensive action" in order to guarantee success.
His position on Iran mirrors that of Netanyahu, who recently said that Israel plans to "finish the job against Iran's terror axis".
Zamir, who led key operations during the second Palestinian intifada or uprising, served as Netanyahu's military secretary from 2012 to 2015.
He is the founder of the right-wing think tank Israel Defence and Security Forum .
In contrast to Halevi, who avoided the spotlight, Zamir comes across as a powerful figure.
At a defence ministry event a day after his appointment, Zamir, a father of three, was quoted as saying that 2025 would be "a year of continued fighting".
"The war has demonstrated that we must be self-reliant," he said.
As head of the defence ministry, Zamir is credited with some of Israel's biggest and most significant defence procurements.
"He understands very well what big wars are all about and how to fight them," said Amir Avivi, a former Israeli general who now runs a network for former security officials.
'Strict'
Zamir cuts a powerful frame, his burly build sending a clear message that he means business.
Avivi, who has known Zamir for more than 20 years and spent a year with him at the Israeli College for National Security, described him as being "mission-oriented", "detail-oriented" and "strict".
He said Zamir has a "deep understanding" of the Gaza front and even authored "a very detailed plan to conquer all of Gaza" while serving as head of Southern Command from 2015 to 2018.
Saying he had spoken with Zamir since his appointment, Avivi added: "I think he has a very clear understanding that he was chosen for one thing -- to bring total victory to Israel on all fronts."
Jonathan Conricus, a former Israeli army spokesman who served with Zamir, also said the incoming chief would have to "navigate strategic challenges of the most sensitive nature", including restoring public trust.
Born in Israel's southernmost city Eilat, Zamir, whose paternal grandfather immigrated from Yemen and whose mother's family arrived from Syria, joined the military in 1984.
Unlike previous chiefs of staff, who served in the distinguished paratroopers' unit or in the Golani infantry brigade, Zamir began his career in the Armoured Corps.
He served through the first and second intifadas holding senior combat and command roles.
In 2002, he led a brigade that captured the refugee camp adjacent to the West Bank city of Jenin, a hotbed of Palestinian militancy.
The army laid siege to the camp for more than a month amid fierce fighting that saw hundreds of homes levelled, and 52 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers killed.
Zamir was later appointed head of the army's southern command, where he led efforts to cut off Hamas tunnels.
From 2018 to 2021, he served as deputy chief of staff under Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, tasked with implementing the military's multi-year plan.
