Chief of the General Staff (Israel)
| Chief of the General Staff | |
|---|---|
| ראש המטה הכללי | |
Flag of the Chief of the General Staff | |
since 5 March 2025 | |
| 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 (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 Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, having taken office on 5 March 2025.
The Chief of the General Staff is nominated by the government on advice of the Minister of Defense, and serves a three-year term, extendable by one year only.
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. For a brief period, he and Chief of the General Staff David Elazar were both in active service with the rank of rav aluf.