Ofer Winter

Ofer Winter was born in 1971 in Kiryat Ata

Ofer Winter was born on 3 February 1971 and grew up in Kiryat Ata. He is the eldest of four siblings in a family of Hungarian Jewish origin. His father David fought in the Yom Kippur War with the 113th Armored Battalion.

From 1985 to 1989 he studied at the Or Etzion military boarding school. He then attended the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli. He later earned degrees from Bar-Ilan University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Haifa, and attended the National Security College.

He joined the IDF in 1990 and served in Sayeret Matkal and Maglan. He later commanded the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion, the Duvdevan Unit and the Givati Brigade, which he led in Operation Protective Edge in 2014. A letter he wrote to his soldiers at the start of that operation started a public debate on religion in the army.

As a brigadier general he was chief of staff of Central Command, military secretary to the defense minister and commander of the Fire Formation. In 2021 the chief of staff reprimanded him for an unapproved conversation with Knesset member Naftali Bennett. On 7 October 2023 he went to the front on his own and fought near Be'eri, and in 2024 his service ended.

Ahead of the 2026 election he founded the Amcha Yisrael party, which received 1.68% of the valid votes and did not pass the threshold. He lives in Mitzpe Netofa with his wife Revital and is the father of 8 children.