‘We don’t give up our values’: IDF Chief Zamir denounces incidents of moral failures & lack of discipline

Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir strongly denounced recent incidents of a lack of discipline among his soldiers, stressing that the army will remain guided by values even amid the heavy burden placed on the soldiers.

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lt.-Gen. Zamir made his comments at the IDF General Staff forum on Sunday, with most of his remarks reportedly focused on this issue.

While acknowledging that the years-long war has caused “erosion,” he stressed: “We do not give up on IDF values, and we do not compromise on norms.”

The lack of discipline has caused a variety of incidents among the troops, some of which have received widespread attention in the media, like the destruction of a Christian cross by a soldier in southern Lebanon.

However, other incidents have included reports of looting and stealing from civilian homes, a notable spike in deadly accidents caused by a lack of care, or another recent incident where an IDF officer allowed unauthorized persons to enter a combat zone.

A short while ago, in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon, the damaged statue was replaced by IDF troops. The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident.

The IDF… pic.twitter.com/nGh1s1iia1

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2026

“He tore into the officers. No one dared say a word while he spoke about this issue,” officers who attended the briefing told Army Radio. “You could feel it was something deeply painful for him.”

Zamir contrasted the infamous picture showing the soldier smashing the cross in Lebanon with a picture of the IDF’s ethical code: “What value in the IDF’s code does this represent? I’m asking you! What value does this stand for? And who is filming him? His squad commander. And who stood by?”

“Imagine if we saw something like this in Europe—people destroying a Jewish religious symbol. What would we say? This is an incident that harms the IDF and the State of Israel,” Army Radio quoted Zamir as saying.

Regarding reports of looting, Zamir ordered every battalion commander to prepare a report on looting incidents within a week. The report will then be concentrated in the hands of a dedicated administration in the Personnel Directorate which will refer cases to the Military Police.

“These are things that must not be allowed to happen. Painful as it may be, we will deal with this harshly,” he said, according to Army Radio. “Looting is disgraceful—it’s a moral stain on the IDF,” Zamir charged.

The general also addressed a recent incident where the Givati Brigade commander allowed four unauthorized persons to enter the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil soon after the ceasefire. In a similar incident in Nov. 2024, a civilian researcher and a soldier were killed in a Hezbollah ambush.

“There is an absolute prohibition on bringing civilians—or officers and soldiers who are not authorized—into combat zones,” stressed Zamir.

According to media reports, Col. Netanel Shamaka had allowed three reservists and one soldier whose relatives had been killed in Bint Jbeil in the past to recite Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer, in the town, without receiving proper authorization.

“[Shamaka] is an excellent brigade commander, but he made a mistake. There is risk in this area—it is still a combat zone. You come to honor someone, but in the end, another bereaved family will also want to enter and recite Kaddish where their son fell,” Zamir warned.

He also noted that “The IDF Spokesperson approached me several times about bringing journalists in—I do not allow it; it is still a dangerous area.”

Another issue Zamir addressed was the phenomenon of non-regulation patches being worn on the uniform, often with inflammatory or religious messages. This issue has also been exploited by anti-Israel activists by creating fake pictures showing IDF soldiers purportedly wearing controversial patches.

היום בכפר הפלסטיני חווארה שבדרום הר חברון, מתנחלים הגיעו וקצרו שדה פלסטיני, הצבא הגיע מהר כדי להגן על המתנחלים.

אחד החיילים היה עם הפאצ׳ הזה👇🏻

אבל חיילות שהדליקו מנגל בשבת נשלחות לכלא pic.twitter.com/QlD847pxxn

— נדב וימן Nadav Weiman (@weimanadav) April 17, 2026

Last week, a picture showing a soldier in Judea and Samaria wearing velcro patches reading, “Stop the hatred, it is time for violence,” and “Hamas hunters” circulated online.

“Look at how this appears! Is this the army you want? If there is even one person who thinks this represents IDF values—stand up now,” Zamir charged.

“This is not a small incident—this is a huge one! It’s a rebellion against IDF values,” he said, before recounting that he personally witnessed a soldier wearing a non-regulation patch while visiting troops in Lebanon recently.

“And what annoyed me most? It was a platoon commander’s tank. And where was the company commander? Why didn’t he conduct an inspection?”

Zamir also announced that a special team will monitor political statements made in uniform and inappropriate posts online by IDF soldiers, including regular and reserve troops.

“Just like we have operations enforcing proper appearance and dress—we’ll do the same on social media. Wherever we find violations, we will act. Reset the system—I will not accept this.”

“I am setting a clear rule—IDF personnel, both regular and reservists, will not use social media as a tool to spread controversial messages or for self-promotion,” he stressed. “This is a red line that must not be crossed, and those who violate it will face disciplinary action. The uniform we wear is a symbol of where we serve and of our values—we must not use it irresponsibly.”

According to Army Radio, the commanders were presented with statistics highlighting the eroding discipline among troops during the meeting.

The data showed that around half of the wounded soldiers during the ground maneuver in Lebanon were injured due to operational accidents, not by Hezbollah. Eight soldiers were killed this year alone due to safety-related incidents, with Chief Safety Officer, Brig.-Gen. Gvaram Haglili, noting that these incidents come down to the commanders’ attention to the issue.

“We are deciding, as a forum of commanders, to focus strongly now on norms, values, and discipline,” Chief of Staff Zamir concluded.

“The concessions of today are the norms of tomorrow. After nine incidents where you don’t respond, in the tenth you’ll want to punish—and people will ask you why. We are now resetting the army, resetting the frameworks.”