IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied promotion, will retire from army

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari agreed that he would not be promoted to Major General and would leave the army in the coming weeks.

This decision comes following clashes between Hagari and the government over official policy, one of which led Hagari to retract his statement made during a Knesset committee meeting as inappropriate.

Hagari had openly voiced his criticism of a law meant to allow any member of the IDF to send information they think vital to the political leadership, without going through official channels and the chain of command.

The Spokesperson had said that this "dangerous” legislation “will create a situation where any junior official in the IDF can, based on his own personal judgment, steal documents or intelligence materials from the IDF," according to JNS.

Daniel Hagari served as the face of the IDF and the State of Israel throughout the entire war thus far, giving daily and sometimes twice daily briefings to the press. His measured, calm cadence even in the face of great tensions and harsh news regarding the hostages, IDF losses, and reports of what took place during October 7.

Hagari also often showed IDF discoveries such as tunnels and Hamas bases himself, wearing a helmet and giving reporters tours of these captured areas despite his height and high rank.

In addition to providing reports and updates on battles, hostages, and incidents, Hagari also gave long backgrounder videos explaining the IDF and the government's policy in general, especially around the time Israel decided to launch a ground invasion against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The IDF also worked hard to create and release easy to understand graphic videos explaining the structure of Hamas hideouts and other terrorist infrastructure, and translate them quickly into English, under Hagari's guidance.