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Chief of the General Staff (Israel)
| Chief of the General Staff | |
|---|---|
| ראש המטה הכללי | |
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&sq=&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_IDF_Chief_of_Staff.svg) Flag of the Chief of the General Staff | |
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| Ministry of Defense | |
| Abbreviation | Ramatkal |
| Member of | General Staff |
| Reports to | Minister of Defense Government of Israel |
| Seat | Rabin Camp, HaKirya, Tel Aviv |
| Nominator | Minister of Defense |
| Appointer | Cabinet of Israel |
| Term length | 3 years; can be extended by 1 year |
| Formation | 1 June 1947 |
| First holder | Rav Aluf Yaakov Dori |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief |
The Chief of the General Staff, also known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַמַּטֶּה הַכְּלָלִי, romanized: Rosh hamateh haklali, abbreviated Ramatkal—רמטכ"ל), is the professional head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The current Chief of the General Staff is Herzi Halevi. Halevi announced in January 2025 that he would resign from his role, effective 6 March 2025, for the IDF's failure to prevent the Hamas October 7 attack.[1]
At any given time, the Chief of the General Staff is the only active officer holding the IDF's highest rank, rav aluf (רַב־אַלּוּף), which is usually translated into English as lieutenant general, a three-star rank. The only exception to this rule occurred during the Yom Kippur War, when former Chief of the General Staff Haim Bar-Lev, who was a cabinet member at the outbreak of and during the war, was brought out of retirement and installed as chief of Southern Command.[2] For a brief period, he and Chief of the General Staff David Elazar were both in active service with the rank of rav aluf.
- ^ "Israeli military chief of staff resigns over failure to prevent October 7 attack". CNN.
- ^ "Lt. Gen. Chaim Bar Lev (1968-1972)". www.idf.il. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
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