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 ...

Eyal Eizenberg (; born 1963) is a former general in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

; his last position was the head of IDF Home Front Command. He led the

(IDF) Gaza Division during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.

Military career

Eizenberg was born in Kfar Bialik in 1963. He began his military service in the Israel Defense Forces in 1981, as a cadet in the

Israel Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

(IAF) Flight School. He did not complete his pilot training, and moved to the Air Force's Shaldag commando unit, where he became a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

commander. He then joined the Givati Brigade as commander of the Brigade's Samson's Foxes

Reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

company, and later as the commander of its Shaked

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. He returned to the Shaldag Unit as its commander, a post he held from 1996- 1999. He was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, and commanded the Eastern

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of Lebanon Liaison Unit during Israel's withdrawal from the security zone it held in Lebanon in 2000. Subsequently he commanded a reserve

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

brigade, before returning to Givati Brigade as its commander, in 2003-2005. He led the brigade during Operation Days of Penitence, and according to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, he was one of the key Israeli decision-makers in the

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 ...

during Operation Rainbow in May 2004. In November 2005 he assumed command of the 98th Paratroopers Division, and led it during the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...

. Though the performance of his division in the war was criticized by the Winograd Commission, he was the only one of the four divisional commanders that participated in the war who continued to serve in the army after the war, advancing in the ranks. His appointment as commander of the Gaza Division was harshly criticized, due to the perceived failure of the division under his command in the Lebanon war. Eizenberg replaced Moshe Tamir as commander of the Gaza Division on 19 November 2008. The handing over of command was postponed due to a surge in tensions around Gaza. Eyal Eizenberg was reprimanded on February 2, 2010 for the authorization of an artillery attack which hit a UN compound in Tel El Hawa on. During the attack on 15 January 2009 the compound was set ablaze by white phosphorus shells.Goldstone report
Goldstone report, UNHRC, para. 543 The Israel Defense Forces did not say what form of discipline Eizenberg faces, but that he was accused of "exceeding his authority in a manner that jeopardised the lives of others" during the shelling of Tel al-Hawa during the

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 ...

on January 15, 2009. On June 15, 2011, Eizenberg was appointed head of the Home Front Command and retired during 2015.

Personal life

Eizenberg is married and the father of 3 children. He lives in a

moshav A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...

in central Israel.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eizenberg, Eyal Israeli generals Gaza Strip Gaza–Israel conflict People of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1963 births Living people Israeli Jews Tel Aviv University alumni