Commander Amir Cohen Retires From Police After Four Decades

Commander Amir Cohen, the Police Commander of the Central District, announced on Thursday his retirement after a career spanning nearly four decades. Cohen held numerous command positions in the Border Police (Magav) and the Israel Police. A significant part of his service was on October 7, when he was the commander of the Southern District. In the early hours of the Hamas attack, Cohen recognized the broad infiltration of terrorists into southern communities, not just rocket fire. At 6:41 AM, he declared "Peresh Pleshet," the code to deploy forces for a multi-front terrorist infiltration. He later arrived in Sderot and participated in the battle for the city's police station, where he was wounded by shrapnel in his eye and two bullets in his back, yet continued to operate. Despite his injuries, he proceeded to Ofakim to manage the hostage situation and subsequently returned to Sderot to order the demolition of the police station occupied by terrorists. Cohen commanded police forces across various southern fronts that day and was later chosen to light a torch on Israel's 76th Independence Day.

Cohen, born in 1970, began his military service in the Border Police in 1988. His career included roles such as commander of the Alon unit in the Northern Border Police, company commander in the West Bank and Gaza Border Police, battalion commander for the Jerusalem Envelope Border Police, deputy commander of the Northern Border Police, and operations officer for the corps. During his service, he was involved in an operation that exposed a terror cell responsible for the murder of Oleg Shikhart and other attacks. In 2023, he moved to command the Southern District, and in November 2025, he was appointed to his current role as Commander of the Central District.