In first, DM Katz appoints senior police officer to head IDF’s Gaza coordination unit

In an historic first, retired former police officer Yoram Halevi was appointed as the next commander of the IDF’s COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) unit.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir announced the highly unusual move on Sunday, after a lengthy and contentious nomination process.

This will be the first time that a senior police officer, who doesn’t hold a top military rank, will be directly granted the rank of Major General and added to the IDF’s General Staff to head the highly sensitive coordination unit.

COGAT is responsible for the IDF’s relations with the Gaza Strip, which, in recent months, mainly meant coordinating the entry of humanitarian aid.

In addition, the unit deals with the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, runs the civil administration in Area C, and also handles relations with international organizations in these areas.

“Yoram Halevi brings extensive experience from his many distinguished roles in the Israel Police, including as commander of the Jerusalem district,” said Defense Minister Katz.

“He is deeply familiar with the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Palestinian issue, and I am confident he will fulfill the role to the highest standard,” he added.

While many former IDF officers have been moved to senior police posts, the appointment of Halevi is almost without precedent.

According to Army Radio, it was preceded by a battle between Katz, who advocated for Halevi, and IDF chief Zamir, who favored Brig.-Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, who currently heads the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria.

Ibrahim is among the army's most senior Druze officers, and Druze leaders had lobbied for him to replace the current COGAT head and fellow Druze, Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian.

Alian is one of the last holdouts in the IDF brass who has direct responsibility for the failures of Oct. 7 and will retire from military service after the end of his term.

Army Radio reported that the snubbing of Ibrahim, which will mean that no Druze officer will sit on the General Staff or be among the military’s top brass, led to anger among the Druze leadership.

Sheikh Muwaffak Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, reportedly requested to speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu before the appointment was finalized, but was denied.

Senior Druze leaders told Army Radio: “It is painful that this is how appointments are handled. Ibrahim was the most qualified for the role. This decision harms the army.“

Before his retirement in 2019, the 61-year-old Halevi rose to the rank of Deputy Commissioner and commanded the elite counterterrorism unit Yamam, as well as the investigative unit Lahav 433 (often compared to the FBI), the Border Police, and the Southern and Jerusalem districts.

He holds degrees in political science and education. His son, Chief Inspector Yitev Lev Halevi, was killed in combat during the current war in Gaza while serving in the elite Yamam unit.