Brigadier General (ret.) Ofer Winter, who was recently pushed out of the IDF, may be reinstated after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week.
MK Moshe Saada (Likud) shared on Wednesday during an interview on Galey Israel Radio that the government is talking about returning Winter to military service after Gallant’s sacking.
“From what I know, there is already talk about returning Ofer Winter to the ranks of the IDF after Gallant’s dismissal,” Saada said.
“Winter should be the Commander of the Southern Command since someone like him knows the southern arena and there is no dispute that he is one of the bravest officers who rose up in this generation,” he added.
General Yaron Finkelman, the current Commander of the Southern Command, was part of the IDF brass that ignored warnings about the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
MK Saada estimated that things will change with Israel Katz’s replacing Gallant as defense minister, saying, “it is clear to me that Minister Katz together with the Prime Minister will now promote these things.”
Winter, a decorated soldier and respected commander, encountered the wrath of the Israeli media during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 when he published a pre-battle command in which he invoked the Jewish faith and Jewish history.
“History has chosen us to be at the forefront of the fight against the fierce Gazan terrorist enemy, who defies, curses, and reviles the God of Israel’s armies. I lift my eyes to the heavens and call with you, ‘Shema Yisrael, Hashem Eloheinu, Hashem Echad.’ O Lord, God of Israel, please make our path successful, as we go and stand to fight for Your people Israel against the enemy who blasphemes Your name,” Brigadier General Winter wrote.
The commander’s message was published in the mainstream media and sparked a debate about the place of religion and faith in the Jewish army. While he continued to serve in the IDF, he encountered challenges with his promotions and the command posts he was offered.
On the morning of the October 7, after receiving the first reports of the Hamas surprise attack, Winter went south on his own initiative and joined the troops fighting in the Kibbutz Be’eri area and participated in a battle in which 11 terrorists were killed.
However, despite his achievements, dedication, and bravery, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi informed Winter in May 2024 of the end of his service in the IDF.
Relating in September to his dismissal, Winter said, “I lower myself to the dirt, and when I’m there, even if you step on me, where will you take me? That’s why I didn’t take it personally. I didn’t hurt anyone; I didn’t do anything. I just prayed – what happened?”
