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IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has canceled all routine holiday leaves for soldiers, saying the army must remain on alert year-round in the wake of the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas.
Speaking to senior military commanders, Zamir said mandatory service members and career officers would still be entitled to vacations, but the longstanding practice of scheduled unit-wide leaves during holidays would be canceled.
The decision follows military investigations into the failures of October 7, when Hamas exploited the reduced troop presence along the Gaza border during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah to launch its unprecedented terror attack.
2הרמטכ"ל, רא"ל אייל זמיר בסיור שטח ברצועת עזההרמטכ"ל, רא"ל אייל זמיר בסיור שטח ברצועת עזה
IDF chief Eyal Zamir (Photo: IDF)
The findings showed that Hamas was aware of the Israeli military’s predictable holiday schedules, with its leader, Yahya Sinwar, reportedly noting that, during holidays and on Fridays, "they don’t leave many people."
As part of the response to these findings, Zamir ordered a surprise drill to test the military’s readiness for base infiltrations, and Israel’s military inspector launched an unannounced review of Northern Command operations. Preliminary reports highlighted failures in intelligence processing and warning systems, with some analysts suggesting that the absence of key officers during pre-scheduled holiday leaves may have impacted real-time information flow and coordination.
While military analysts say the Oct. 7 failures were due to multiple factors — including intelligence shortcomings and Hamas' strategic planning — reducing troop presence on holidays has been identified as a vulnerability. Zamir’s order ensures that, going forward, key units, including intelligence, Air Force, and operations divisions, remain fully staffed year-round.
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Military officials say holiday leave suspension is particularly significant for combat units and command centers that manage border security. The military has already increased its permanent force deployment along Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank during holidays as a result of the war.
2חייליםחייליםPhoto: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
During the October 7 terror attack, reduced troop presence left many bases undermanned, and the scale of Hamas’ assault overwhelmed the defenses. Intelligence gathered from Gaza after the war began included Hamas’ operational orders for attacking the Nahal Oz base, which detailed Israeli troop weaknesses, including the routine reduction of forces on weekends.
A previous decision by Israel’s military high command to cut weekend troop presence in combat zones by half, intended to boost motivation for enlistment in combat roles, was recently reassessed. Military officials have since labeled it a "mistake," with Nahal Oz base — where 53 Israeli soldiers were killed —identified as one of the most vulnerable sites on Oct. 7 due to understaffing.
Despite the cancellation of scheduled leaves, individual soldiers will still be granted time off, but Israel’s military will remain on full operational footing year-round to prevent future lapses in readiness.