Militaryישראל שומר

Yisrael Shomer

Yisrael Shomer is an Israeli brigadier general who headed the IDF Operations Division until his retirement in June 2026.

born 1977Heading the IDF Operations DivisionCommanding the Nahal BrigadeDefending Kfar Aza on 7 October

Born: 30 August 1977, Ashdod
Occupation: military officer
Rank: tat aluf
Wars: South Lebanon conflict

Yisrael Shomer was born in 1977 in Ashdod

Shomer was born in Ashdod on 30 August 1977 and grew up there. He has lived on kibbutz Kfar Aza since 2000. He is married to Yifat and has three children.

He holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences from Bar-Ilan University and a master's degree in public policy from Tel Aviv University. He also studied at the National Security College. In June 2024 Reichman University gave him an honorary doctorate.

He joined the IDF in 1995 and served in the Nahal Brigade's 50th Battalion. He later commanded the Nahal reconnaissance battalion, the Binyamin Brigade and the Nahal Brigade. In July 2015, as Binyamin commander, he shot and killed a Palestinian teenager who had thrown a stone at his car. The chief military advocate closed the case in 2016, calling it an operational error.

On 7 October 2023 he fought attackers in Kfar Aza, then joined his division on the Lebanon border. In May 2024 he became head of the Operations Division. In June 2026 he retired after being questioned by military police on suspicion of misconduct involving a subordinate officer.

Yisrael Shomer's life in 7 milestones

1995
Enlisted in the IDF and joined the Nahal Brigade.
2009
Became commander of the Nahal reconnaissance battalion.
2014
Promoted to colonel and named Binyamin Brigade commander.
2019
Appointed commander of the Nahal Brigade.
2023
Promoted to brigadier general and given command of the HaMeptz formation.
2024
Became head of the Operations Division.
2026
Retired from the IDF after a military police inquiry.

Yisrael Shomer served in Nahal Brigade

Shomer served in the IDF from 1995, mostly in the Nahal Brigade, and fought in southern Lebanon, the Second Intifada and the Second Lebanon War. He reached the rank of brigadier general and headed the Operations Division during the Swords of Iron war.

Nahal Brigade