Dan Goldfuss (; born December 28, 1976) is an Israeli major general serving as the commander of the
IDF Northern Corps and the Multi-Domain Joint Maneuver Array.
[אלוף דן גולדפוס נכנס לתפקיד מפקד הגיס הצפוני ומערך התמרון]
IDF, posted and retrieved 10 Oct 2024.
He previously served as Commander of
Gadsar Nahal,
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
,
931st Onyx Battalion,
Nahal Brigade
The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces' main infantry brigades. It has operated in all major wars and large-scale operations since its inception in 1982, playing key roles during the 1982 and the 2006 Lebanon Wars and t ...
, and
The Fire Formation.
Biography
Goldfuss was born and raised in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. His parents were
South African Jewish immigrants to Israel. He grew up religious but became more secular later in life. He enlisted in the
IDF in March 1995, and volunteered for
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
. He completed the warrior course training in the Shayetet, and took part in the
fighting in southern Lebanon, among other things he was part of the rescue force in the
Ansariya ambush
The Ansariya ambush took place during the conflict between the Israel Defense Forces occupying South Lebanon and the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, the armed wing of the Hezbollah movement. A 16-man force from the Israeli Navy’s special opera ...
. After that he went to the infantry officers' course. At the end of the course he returned to
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
and was appointed platoon commander. He later served as the commander of a fighter unit in the Shayetet, among other things during
Operation Protective Shield. He then moved to the
Nahal Brigade
The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces' main infantry brigades. It has operated in all major wars and large-scale operations since its inception in 1982, playing key roles during the 1982 and the 2006 Lebanon Wars and t ...
and was appointed commander of the
Gadsar Nahal between 2002-2004, and led it in the fight against Palestinian terrorism in the
second intifada
The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
.
For the manner in which he commanded it, he was awarded the
Aluf Citation by
Moshe Kaplinsky
Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky (Hebrew: משה קפלינסקי; born January 20, 1957) is an Israeli army general and businessman who was CEO of the Israeli subsidiary of Better Place. Most recently, he was Deputy Chief of the General Staff of ...
.
In 2007 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (Sgan-
Aluf
( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, fo ...
) and appointed platoon commander in
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
, and led it, among other things, in
Operation Cast Lead
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, he served in this position until 2009.
Later he was appointed commander of the
931st Onyx Battalion between the years 2009-2011.
In July 2015 he was appointed commander of the 226th reserve
Paratroopers Battalion and at the same time commander of a course in the company commanders and battalion commanders course, and served in his positions until March 2017.
On March 2, 2017 he was appointed commander of the
Nahal Brigade
The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces' main infantry brigades. It has operated in all major wars and large-scale operations since its inception in 1982, playing key roles during the 1982 and the 2006 Lebanon Wars and t ...
, and served in this position until August 15, 2019.
On September 16, 2019 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (Tat-
Aluf
( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, fo ...
) and was appointed head of
Infantry Corps
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
, a position in which he served until July 19, 2021. At the end of his position, he went to study at Harvard University in the United States. On September 21, 2022, he was appointed commander of the
98th Paratroopers Division
The 98th "Ha-Esh" Paratroopers Division (, ''Utzbat HaEsh,'' lit. The Fire Formation), is an elite division of the Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), i ...
, also known as the Ha-Esh or "Fire Formation".
During the ongoing
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
he has commanded the 98th Paratroopers Division in
Khan Yunis
Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war.
Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...
in the southern
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
.
In a statement he gave in the Gaza Strip, in March 2024, Goldfuss called for Israel's leaders to be "worthy of the reservists who did not care what side they were from, and fought side by side".
On July 31, 2024 Goldfuss has finished his position as the commander of the
98th Paratroopers Division
The 98th "Ha-Esh" Paratroopers Division (, ''Utzbat HaEsh,'' lit. The Fire Formation), is an elite division of the Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), i ...
, was promoted to the rank of Major General (
Aluf
( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, fo ...
) and chosen as the commander of the Northern Corps which is only active during wartime.
Awards and decorations
Dan Goldfuss was awarded three
campaign ribbons for his service during three conflicts, as well as one
Aluf Citation.
Personal life
Goldfuss has a wife and four children. He has earned a bachelor's degree in politics, government and Middle Eastern studies from the
Reichman University
Reichman University () is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC Herzliya, ) private college, before being rebranded in 2021.
It receives n ...
, and a master's degree in political science from the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldfuss, Dan
1976 births
Israeli generals
Jewish military personnel
Living people
Military personnel from Jerusalem
Israeli secular Jews