IDF Operations Directorate Brigadier General Steps Down Following Misconduct Investigation

Shomer faced questioning Tuesday morning over a consensual relationship with an officer under his command. After accepting responsibility, he resigned from the IDF.

Brigadier general Yisrael Shomer, head of the Operations Division in the IDF, arrives to a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, May 10, 2026.

(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

ByAVI ASHKENAZI

JUNE 3, 2026 02:25

Updated: JUNE 3, 2026 07:46

IDF Operations Division head, Brig.-Gen. Yisrael Shomer resigned from the IDF, effective immediately, hours after having been questioned Tuesday morning by military police on suspicion of institutional offenses.

Shomer was questioned for several hours over allegations that he engaged in a consensual relationship with an officer under his command. Following the investigation, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir intended to suspend him. Instead, Shomer submitted his resignation to Operations Directorate Chief Maj.-Gen. Itzik Cohen. Zamir accepted the resignation, and Shomer officially retired from the IDF on Tuesday evening.

Shomer, the second-highest-ranking officer in the IDF's Operations Directorate below its head, oversaw all operational planning for IDF activities across combat arenas. Officers in this position are typically promoted to the rank of major-general, and it is seen as a stepping stone en route to eventually becoming IDF chief.

Brig.-Gen. Israel Shomer's military career

Born, raised, and educated in Ashdod, Shomer enlisted in the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion when he came of age.

After completing combat training, he attended the infantry squad commanders course and the infantry officers course. He returned to the 50th Battalion as a company commander, later served as a platoon commander, and held multiple company and command roles in the Nahal Brigade, including leading the brigade’s reconnaissance battalion.

In 2014, he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the Binyamin Regional Brigade. In July 2015, a Palestinian attacker near A-Ram threw a large rock at Shomer’s vehicle from roughly one meter away. Shomer exited his vehicle toward Muhammad al-Hani al-Kasbeh, a 17-year-old resident of the Kalandiya refugee camp, who attempted to flee.

After a brief pursuit, Shomer fired three shots, striking Kasbeh in the head, shoulder, and back, killing him.

An investigation later determined that firing while in motion without aiming through the weapon sights was not in accordance with open-fire instructions. On April 10, 2016, the Military Advocate-General closed the case, ruling the incident an operational error that did not cross the criminal threshold. In November 2018, then-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot postponed Shomer’s promotion due to a professional lapse.

In 2017, Shomer was appointed head of operations for the IDF's Southern Command, serving until 2019, when he became commander of the Nahal Brigade. He held that post until June 28, 2021. Following the death of his successor, Col. Sharon Asman, who collapsed during morning training, Shomer resumed command on July 1, 2021, and served for several months.

In 2023, Shomer was promoted to brigadier-general and appointed commander of the “HaMapatz” Division. On October 7, he was at his home in Kfar Aza when terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz. Armed with a kitchen knife, he joined the soldiers from the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion in defending the community. During the ensuing war, while the division under his command conducted defensive operations in the North, he was appointed Operations Division head.

Senior IDF officers are seeking to accelerate their retirements

As recently reported by Maariv, senior IDF officers at the rank of lieutenant-colonel and above, including two serving brigadier-generals, are seeking to accelerate their retirements over concerns about the impact on their pensions. This follows a September High Court of Justice decision to cancel the Chief of Staff pension supplement provided at retirement or, alternatively, to establish a different arrangement by the end of the year.

The officers fear that they may ultimately fall between the cracks and are looking to advance their retirements, originally scheduled for the coming months, even if it means foregoing assignment to higher-ranking positions.