Avi Bluth

Abraham (Avi) Ahron Bluth (אַבְרָהָם (אָבִי) אַהֲרֹן בְּלוּט; born 1974) is an Israeli Major general (Aluf), who currently heads the Central Command.

Previously he commanded the 101st Paratrooper battalion, 89th Commando Brigade, the Judea Regional Brigade and the Judea and Samaria Division.

Biography and military service
Bluth was born in Jerusalem to Efraim and Shoshana. He lived in the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf. He was drafted into the IDF in 1993. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade, and in 1995 became an infantry officer after completing Officer Candidate School. Bluth served as a platoon leader at the 890 paratroop battalion and fought in South Lebanon. Later on he commanded the 101st "Peten" paratrooper battalion during Operation Cast Lead in which he was injured. Afterwards he commanded Maglan Unit. His next position was as the commander of the Judea Regional Brigade. Later on he commanded a reserve Paratroopers Brigade. In 2017, he was appointed as the commander of the 89th Commando Brigade and in 2018 he was chosen to be the next Military Secretary to the Prime Minister. While serving as the Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, he was reprimanded by the Chief of the General Staff, Gadi Eisenkot on January 4, 2019, for not delivering on time the Prime Minister's directive to delay the evacuation of Amona. In 2021, he was appointed as the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division.

He occupied the office during the crackdown against a wave of terror attacks which began in March 2022. During the crackdown and the effort to neutralize militant terror cells aroung the West Bank, codename Operation Wave Breaker, the number of battalions under Bluth comman more than doubled, from 11 in time he took office to 27 by July 2023. Bluth also commanded the division during Israel–Hamas war with its spillover to the West Bank.

On June 20, 2024, Bluth was promoted to the rank of Aluf (major general), and on July 8, 2024, he was appointed as the commander of the Central Command (Israel).

Awards and decorations
Avi Bluth was awarded three campaign ribbons for his service during three conflicts.

Personal life
Bluth is married and has 6 children, he resides with his family in the Moshav Nehusha. He has a bachelor's degree in philosophy, economics and political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a master's degree in strategic thinking from the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania.