The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Gaza Division, which is responsible for the border of Gaza and faced the onslaught of the October 7 attack, received a new commander on September 2. Brigadier General Barak Hiram replaced Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld. In addition, Major General Tamir Yadai, head of IDF Ground Forces, announced he was stepping down from his position for personal reasons on September 3.
The changes in command come as Israel may be entering a new phase of the war. On September 1, the IDF announced it had found the bodies of six hostages in Gaza who had been executed in a tunnel deep under Rafah. The IDF assessed that Hamas killed Alex Lobanov, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Carmel Gat just days before being found. The killing came after hostage and ceasefire talks had broken down in August, the latest round of negotiations failing to reach an agreement over eight months.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for Israel to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza. He says securing the border area will prevent Hamas from re-arming and becoming a threat to Israel again in the future. This decision has been slammed by former war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who left the government in June over the handling of the war.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has also called for more flexibility over the Philadelphi Corridor in hostage and ceasefire talks. At the political level, it indicates Netanyahu is not inclined to cede the corridor in any negotiations that have taken place with the US, Egypt, and Qatar. If the IDF takes a permanent role along the Egyptian border of southern Gaza, it would represent a new posture in operations.
The change in command of the Gaza Division will also be significant in the war’s next phase. Rosenfeld had resigned in June, saying he had failed in his mission to protect the Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip. His replacement, Hiram, was the head of the IDF’s 99th Division, which has played a key role in Gaza operations. He also participated in the battle to restore security around the Gaza Strip on October 7 and fought in the community of Beeri, where he faced scrutiny for a tank shelling a home in the community. Hiram was cleared of any wrongdoing over the incident.
Hiram’s appointment puts him at the center of the division responsible for securing the border and rebuilding confidence in the IDF’s ability to do so almost a year after the October 7 attack. A former commander of the Golani’s 51st Battalion, he is intimately familiar with the failures of October 7, during which that battalion suffered heavy losses. During the attack, it was one of several understrength battalions under the Gaza Division.
Tamir Yadai was appointed head of IDF Ground Forces in October 2021, serving in the position for almost three years. His resignation will open up his position to another general, perhaps one who played a recently successful role in the Gaza conflict. It could also shift the focus on future appointments in the IDF, such as the next deputy chief of staff or chief of staff, in an organization whose top brass will remain in the spotlight for choices in the war over the last year.
