Zamir was born and raised in Eilat. He was one of three children born to Shlomo and Yaffa (nee Abadi) Zamir.[5] His grandparents were immigrants from Yemen and Syria.[6] His father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the IDF who decided to settle in Eilat after being stationed there.[7] He is a graduate of the 17th class of the Military Command Boarding School, a preparatory boarding school in Tel Aviv, which he entered in 1980 at age 14.[8] Unlike his peers who were aiming for elite commando units, Zamir dreamed of joining the Armored Corps, recalling "I was a young boy from Eilat who used to read a lot of books, and when I read about the Yom Kippur War I would always see that the Armored Corps – the tanks and whatnot – were saving the day. I was the only one who wanted to go in that direction."[5]
Zamir is a graduate of the Inter-Service Command and Staff College, and the National Security College. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Tel Aviv University, a Master's degree in national security from the University of Haifa,[8] and is an alumnus of the General Management Program for Senior Executives (GMP) of The Wharton School.[9]
Zamir is married to Orna and has three children, sons Ori and Itai and daughter Roni. He lives in Hod HaSharon.[7]
Career
Zamir began his service in the IDF in 1984, joining the Armored Corps.[10] In the Armored Corps he underwent training as a combat soldier and later attended the tank commander course. He completed an armored officers course and was a platoon commander and company commander in the 500th Brigade and the 460th Brigade.[8]
In 1992–1994, he served as the operations officer of the 7th Armored Brigade (with the rank of major). From 1994 to 1996 he served as the commander of the 75th Battalion in the 7th Brigade (with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel). In 1996, he was a commander of the tank commanders course at the armored school. He served in this position until 1997, when he went on to study for a year at the École Militaire in France.[10][8]
In 1998–2000, he served as an operations officer of the 162nd Division. In 2000–2002, he was head of the Armored Corps Theory Department at the headquarters of the Chief Armored Officer, and at the same time served as commander of the 656th Brigade, a reserve division in the Central Command (with the rank of colonel). In 2002–2003, he was commander of the Tactical Training Center at the National Training Center on land, in parallel with his role as commander of the reserve division.[8]
In 2003–2005, he was commander of the 7th Armored Brigade.[4] In 2007–2009, he served as commander of the 143rd Division (with the rank of brigadier general), and at the same time commanded a course for company commanders and battalion commanders.[8]
In November 2012, he was appointed the Military Secretary to the Prime Minister.[12] On 3 September 2015, he ended his term as the Prime Minister's military secretary. On 14 October 2015, he took office as Commander of the Southern Command.[13] Towards the end of his term, clashes began on the Israel-Gaza Strip border. On 6 June 2018, he ended his term as Commander of the Southern Command.[14]
Eyal Zamir and Yoav Gallant with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., 25 June 2024
On 13 June 2022, Defence Minister Benny Gantz commenced the process of selecting Israel's 23rd IDF Chief of Staff. Zamir was announced as one of three candidates along with Herzi Halevi and Yoel Strick.[19] On 17 July 2022, Gantz announced that the race is between Zamir and Halevi.[20] Halevi was chosen over Zamir in September[21] and assumed office in January,[22]
After Halevi announced his intention to step down as Chief of Staff in January 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz cited Zamir, alongside Amir Baram and Tamir Yadai as the three candidates to replace him.[24] Zamir was announced as Halevi's replacement on 1 February 2025.[25][26] He took the office on 5 March at 16:00, following a ceremony that was held at the Israeli Air Force command center at HaKirya in Tel Aviv.[27]
Under his leadership as Chief of Staff, the IDF launched a major offensive in Gaza in May 2025 (codenamed "Gideon's Chariots"), with the stated goal of capturing 75% of the territory within two months to pressure Hamas; by mid-2025, Israeli sources reported the IDF had achieved or approached control of approximately 75% of Gaza, which contributed to conditions for partial hostage negotiations.[28][29][30][31]
In 2025, during the ongoing Gaza war, Zamir publicly urged members of Israel’s security cabinet to consider approving a proposed hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, suggesting that the IDF's operations created conditions necessary for such a deal and that the decision lay with the political leadership.[32] According to reporting, he objected expanding military operations and told ministers that at that stage doing so could endanger remaining hostages.[33][34]
Zamir led the IDF during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, a 12-day campaign involving strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and other targets. He later conducted debriefs on the operation in preparation for subsequent actions.[35][36][37][36]
Zamir was one of 37 Israelis indicted by the Public Prosecutor of Turkey in 2025 on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for his involvement in the Gaza war. The Israeli government rejected the charges.[38]
In 2026, Zamir was involved in a major joint Israeli-U.S. military campaign against Iran (Operation Roaring Lion) that included coordinated strikes on Iranian military and nuclear‑related infrastructure.[39][40][41] The operation reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.[42][43]
In 2025, Zamir was ranked No. 4 on The Jerusalem Post's annual list of the 50 Most Influential Jews, recognizing his leadership in major military operations.[33][44]
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