Gal Hirsch

Gal Hirsch
Gal Hirsch
Native name	גל הירש
Born	1964 (age 59–60) Israel
Allegiance	Israel
Service/branch	Israel Defense Forces
Years of service	1982–2007
Rank	Tat-Aluf (Brigadier General)
Unit	Paratroopers Brigade
Commands	202 "Tsefa" (Viper) paratroop battalion Shaldag Unit, IDF Officer Training School (Bahad 1) 91st Division
Battles/wars	First Lebanon War South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) Operation Grapes of Wrath First Intifada Law and Order Second Intifada 2006 Lebanon War

Gal Hirsch (Hebrew: גל הירש; born 1964) is an Israeli former military commander and author. As Brigadier General, he commanded the 91st Division of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 2006 Lebanon War.

Hirsch served as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade and later joined the elite Shaldag Unit, eventually becoming the unit's commander during special operations in Lebanon.^[1]

Hirsch commanded the 91st Division of the IDF during the 2006 Lebanon War. In this role, he had direct responsibility for the abduction affair and the Battle of Bint Jbeil and Ayta ash-Sha'b, in which the IDF failed to occupy the two towns in spite of suffering high casualties. Hirsch was forced to resign from the military in December 2006 after an IDF investigation strongly criticised Hirsch's performance during the war.^[2][3][4]

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan appointed Hirsch as the Israel Police Commissioner on August 25, 2015, as an outsider Erdan hoped would bring change. The candidacy was withdrawn several weeks later due to police investigations into alleged bribery and money laundering by Hirsch and business associates related to their activity with Defensive Shield, a defense company Hirsch founded in 2007 that provided consultancy services, military training, and brokered arm sales to Georgia and other countries. After four years of investigations, police announced there was insufficient evidence to indict Hirsch in August 2019. In 2021, the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court indicted Hirsch for tax offenses for failing to report at least $1.9 million in proceeds from his work with Defensive Shield.^[3][4]

As of May 2022^[update], Hirsch was a senior fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.^[5]

In January 2017, he was awarded the Exemplary Graduate Award by the Association of Military Boarding Schools, for his exemplary work in the IDF and in civilian life.^{[citation needed]}

Hirsch announced in December 2018 that he was forming Magen Israel (Shield of Israel), a new political party. However, the party received only 3,394 votes in the April 2019 Israeli legislative election. In June 2019, Hirsch joined the Likud, running on the 99th spot on its list in the September 2019 Israeli legislative election.^[4]

In April 2020, he volunteered to serve as chief of staff to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Elad.^{[citation needed]}

On October 8, 2023, one day into the Israel–Hamas war, Hirsch was appointed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to coordinate the cross-governmental response to the abduction of over 250 people to the Gaza Strip.^[6]

• Hirsch, Gal (2009). War Story, Love Story (in Hebrew). ידיעות אחרונות. ISBN 9789654828109.
• Hirsch, Gal (2016). Defensive Shield (Revised English ed.). Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 9789652298652.
• Hirsch, Gal (2020). Follow Me. Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 9789657023044.

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