DaysofPal – Israeli television channel 14 revealed on Monday that Brigadier General Barak Hiram has requested to step down from his role as commander of the Israeli army’s Gaza Division starting in March, citing “personal reasons,” after serving in the position for about a year and a half.
According to the channel, Hiram began the war as commander of Division 99 before being appointed to lead the Gaza Division in September 2024. It noted that in the Israeli military, it is uncommon for a division commander to leave the post before completing at least two years. Despite this norm, Hiram asked to be replaced after approximately 18 months in the role.
Channel 14 reported that Lieutenant Colonel Liron Betito has already agreed to assume the position ahead of the originally scheduled transition. While Betito’s appointment as Hiram’s successor had previously been decided, the leadership change was initially planned for the coming summer.
The Gaza Division operates under the Israeli army’s Southern Command and is responsible for securing the border with the Gaza Strip. It consists of two brigades, one stationed in the north and the other in the south. The division sustained heavy losses during the October 7, 2023 attack, when Hamas targeted military bases and Israeli settlements near Gaza.
Hebrew media reported that the division’s performance, along with that of its commander at the time, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, was weak even after the attack had begun.
Barak Hiram, who was previously known as the commander of Division 99, has been associated with controversial decisions during the October 7 events. Israeli sources have reported that he ordered shelling toward several homes in Kibbutz Be’eri, where Israeli captives were being held alongside Hamas fighters during the attack.
In March 2024, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Hiram received a formal reprimand from the army’s leadership over the bombing of Israa University in Gaza City. The strike was carried out on the claim that fighters were operating in tunnels beneath the campus.
In June 2024, Avi Rosenfeld announced his resignation following what was described as a failure to protect settlements surrounding Gaza during the October 7 attack.
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