Tel aviv: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has halted senior military appointments, heightening tensions with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
According to Anadolu Agency, the decision followed Zamir's dismissal of several top officers without consulting Katz, after perceived failures to prevent the events of October 7, 2023, which are widely regarded as a significant intelligence and military failure for Israel.
Katz has intensified the discord with Zamir by ordering a comprehensive review of findings from the Turgeman Committee and pausing senior army appointments. This move comes amid ongoing unrest related to the October 7 events, as reported by the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. On the previous day, Zamir had dismissed several high-ranking officers and reprimanded others, including former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, former Southern Command head Yaron Finkelman, and former Operations Directorate chief Oded Basyuk. These officers had already been relieved of their command positions, but Zamir's latest actions have terminated their reservist status.
Zamir also dismissed Gaza Division reserve commander Avi Rosenfeld, and the division's intelligence officer was expelled from the army entirely, as noted by the public broadcaster KAN. Other prominent figures, such as Air Force commander Tomer Bar, current Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, and Navy commander David Saar Salama, received admonishments but were not dismissed.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Katz first became aware of Zamir's decisions through media channels. The newspaper added that Katz directed Defense Ministry comptroller Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Volansky to conduct a more thorough review of the report by the committee led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, a former Southern Command head who managed the military's investigations into the October 2023 events. Katz emphasized the need for unified standards to determine personal accountability and requested findings be submitted within 30 days, after which he will make final decisions on senior military appointments, potentially extending the freeze for over a month.
Former Defense Minister and opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman commented on the escalating conflict, stating, "Yesterday a new front opened - between the defense minister and the chief of staff." He warned at a Knesset press conference that "politicizing the army will destroy the entire defense establishment."
Since taking office in March 2025, Zamir and Katz have frequently clashed, including over new appointments in August 2024 and Katz's attempt to appoint his military secretary Guy Markezano as Israel's defense attach© in Washington, which Zamir opposed. Since October 2023, the Israeli army's actions in Gaza have resulted in nearly 70,000 deaths, mostly of women and children, and over 170,900 injuries during a two-year conflict that has devastated much of the enclave.