Maj. Gen. David Kalifa named next IDF Central Command chief

Maj. Gen. David (“Dado”) Bar Kalifa will be the next head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command, replacing Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the military announced on Tuesday.

The IDF did not say when Kalifa will take up the post. Hebrew-language media reported that he is expected to assume the position in 2027.

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Central Command is responsible for IDF units and brigades operating in Judea and Samaria, under the Judea and Samaria Division, as well as Jerusalem and Israel’s coastal plain, spanning about 56 miles from Mount Carmel in the north to the Yarkon River in the south.

The decision was made as part of a personnel assignment meeting on Monday led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, during which a broad series of appointments to command positions was finalized, according to Israel’s Channel 14.

Defense Minister Israel Katz later approved the appointment, the report said.

Kalifa was born in 1976 and enlisted in the Golani Brigade in 1995. He has served as head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate since November 2024.

He previously commanded the 36th “Ga’ash” Division, a regular-service formation. During the war in Gaza, he led the division in operations in the central Gaza Strip.

Kalifa is a graduate of the National Security College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ono Academic College and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa. He is married and has five children and two grandchildren.

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