Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim Named Military Secretary to the Defense Minister

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim will become the military secretary to the defense minister, a major change in the Defense Ministry office at the Kirya in Tel Aviv. Ibrahim, a Druze officer, currently serves as head of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria and is widely regarded in the IDF as a prominent and respected commander.

The appointment comes at a sensitive time for Israel’s security establishment, which is facing strategic decisions and complex, multi-front operations. The ministry said the post takes effect immediately, and Ibrahim will begin overlapping and taking up his duties in the minister’s office without delay.

Katz also reviewed other candidates for the role, including Brig. Gen. Yair Palai, commander of Division 210 in the Golan Heights, and Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, commander of Division 98. In the end, Katz chose Ibrahim, who was the preferred candidate of IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The future roles of Palai and Levy in the top command remain unclear.

Ibrahim has held a long list of senior command and core positions, mainly in the IDF Ground Forces maneuvering corps. He previously served as the IDF Armor Corps chief, commander of the Armored Corps training brigade, Brigade 460, commander of reserve Brigade 205, and deputy commander of Division 91, the Galilee Division, on the northern border. Katz notified Zamir after signing the appointment and said he believes Ibrahim will succeed in the sensitive post, especially as Israel is in the midst of a significant security period. The article also notes that about six months ago Ibrahim publicly described balancing his demanding service with caring for his 10-year-old son Jud, who has Down syndrome, and that he volunteers weekly with children with special needs.