The area around the home of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in Ramot Hashavim, near Hod Hasharon, was declared a closed military zone on Sunday after being vandalized amid recent anti-war protests.
Ynet reported on Monday that the incident revealed “extremely serious security failures,” which led to the declaration of a military zone to protect Zamir from possible attacks by foreign “hostile elements.”
Zamir reportedly had the order lifted on Monday to avoid causing hardship to his neighbors, but security was significantly tightened.
According to an IDF statement on Sunday, the closed military zone had been declared “based on professional and security considerations” and did not affect other parts of the community or residents’ daily life.
The move came after activists from the far-left Standing Together NGO, accompanied by self-described IDF members from the Soldiers for Hostages group, doused Zamir’s home with red paint on Aug. 31.
The red paint symbolized “the rivers of blood that will be spilled if Israel invades Gaza again, endangering the hostages and killing innocent people,” according to a statement put out by Standing Together.
Eight people were arrested for disrupting public order and causing damage to public and private property, the Israel Police announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “extremist” vandals, saying that Zamir was leading the military “with morality and determination” as it works to defeat Hamas and return the hostages.
“Any attempt to harm him or his commanders must be denounced,” the prime minister said in a statement, adding: “I call on law enforcement authorities to bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid Party) decried the vandals as well, calling them a “small minority of radicals. We stand behind the IDF, its commanders and fighters.”
Netanyahu has faced heated rhetoric over the years that has sometimes crossed the line into threats, especially during the 2023 judicial reform debate. Following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of, the same group of anti-Netanyahu activists again began demanding the ouster of his government, this time over the management of the war on Hamas.
