Zamir: "War of Revival" to Be Used Across IDF

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered that all official military references to the Israel–Hamas war use the term “War of Revival,” according to a directive reported Thursday by Israel’s public broadcaster.

Under the order, the new designation will appear in all IDF documents, statements, ceremonies, speeches, and official correspondence. The stated goal of the policy is to ensure “linguistic uniformity” across the military.

The conflict, which began with Hamas’s October 7 massacre, had previously been referred to within the IDF as “Operation Swords of Iron.” The renaming follows a government decision approved in October to adopt “War of Revival” as the official title.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued at the time that the war represented a historic turning point for Israel. He described it as a continuation of the country’s struggle for survival, saying that after years of fighting, Israel was “rising from the disaster of October 7.”

The move, however, has sparked sharp criticism from bereaved families and opposition politicians, who say the name change risks obscuring responsibility for the failures that allowed Hamas’s attack.

Eyal Eshel, the father of Sgt. Roni Eshel, who was killed on October 7, called the directive an “illegal, political order.” Speaking to Israeli media, Eshel accused the government of attempting to rewrite history.

“This is an army being ordered to forget, erase, and obscure,” he said. “The truth will not disappear if you forbid writing it. Responsibility will not disappear if you change terms. Failure will not disappear if you silence its name.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid voiced similar objections, arguing that the renaming effort is an attempt to avoid accountability. “You can call the war whatever you want,” he said previously. “It won’t help erase what happened on October 7.”

Even within the coalition, the decision has not been universally embraced. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli abstained from the government vote, saying the term was unsuitable and noting that “War of Revival” has historically been used as an alternative name for Israel’s War of Independence.

Israeli media has estimated that implementing the name change across military systems, signage, and documentation will cost approximately two million shekels.

Despite the controversy, the IDF directive takes effect immediately, making “War of Revival” the sole authorized term for the conflict in all official military usage.