Ofer Winter

Ofer Winter (עופר וינטר; born February 3, 1971) is an IDF officer with the rank of Brigadier General. He served as the commander of 98th Paratroopers Division, the military secretary to the Israeli Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Central Command, the commander of the Givati Brigade, the commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, the commander of the 646 Brigade, the commander of the Duvdevan Unit, and the commander of the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion.

Biography
Winter was born in Rekhasim and grew up in Kiryat Ata. He is the eldest of four siblings. According to him, he received his combat heritage from his father David (Dutzo), who during the Yom Kippur War was a soldier in the 113th Armored Battalion and fought on both sides of the Suez Canal for 19 consecutive days.

From 1985 to 1989, he studied at the Or Etzion Military Boarding School for Command, and continued at the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli in the second cohort.

Military Service
He enlisted in the IDF in November 1990 and volunteered for Sayeret Matkal. He underwent training as a fighter in the unit. After the infantry officers course he was a team commander in the Maglan unit, which he joined following his commander Tal Russo. He was later appointed commander of a combat platoon in Maglan. Within the unit, he participated in dozens of operations, including Operation Grapes of Wrath. He later served in the Givati Brigade and was appointed commander of the spearhead company in the Tzabar Battalion. He was then appointed commander of the Givati Reconnaissance Company from 2000 to 2002 and led it in many operations in the Gaza Strip.

In 2003, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commander of the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion, serving in the position until 2005. He led the battalion in fighting against Palestinian terrorism during the Second Intifada in the Gaza Strip. For his actions in a series of operations deep in the Gaza Strip, the battalion under his command was awarded a unit citation on April 22, 2004, by the Southern Command commander, Dan Harel. In May 2004, the battalion suffered six casualties in the first APC disaster, in which a Givati engineering APC was destroyed. For the series of actions carried out by the reconnaissance battalion under his command, the battalion was awarded the Medal of Valor on April 14, 2005.

He later served as the IDF attaché to the Marines from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed commander of the Duvdevan Unit. At his initiative, the unit participated for the first time in fighting in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead. During his command, the unit won the Chief of Staff's Award for Outstanding Units for operational activity. He completed his role in November 2009. In December 2009, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed commander of the Shualei Marom (646) Brigade, completing his role in May 2011. On May 18, 2011, he was appointed commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, a position he held until July 21, 2013.

Givati Brigade Commander
On August 22, 2013, he was appointed commander of the Givati Brigade and led the brigade, among other things, during Operation Protective Edge. At the beginning of the operation, on July 9, 2014, a "Commander's Page for Battle" he wrote to the brigade's soldiers was published, in which, in addition to messages such as emphasizing mission accomplishment and defending the people and the homeland, he wrote:"'The history has chosen us to be at the forefront of the fight against the fierce Gazan terrorist enemy, who defies, curses, and reviles the God of Israel's armies. I lift my eyes to the heavens and call with you, 'Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl Hashem ʾĕlōhēnū Hashemʾeḥād' O Lord, God of Israel, please make our path successful, as we go and stand to fight for Your people Israel against the enemy who blasphemes Your name.'"The commander's page was published in the media and sparked a discussion about the place of religion and faith in the army.

During the operation, the brigade's fighters under his command killed many terrorists and uncovered and destroyed combat tunnels and infrastructure used by Hamas. The brigade played a central role in the Battle of Rafah. In a lecture he gave in 2021, he said he opposed the action that started the battle, as he believed the risk outweighed its benefit, but the Southern Command commander, Sami Turgeman, held a situation assessment and decided to carry it out.

In January 2015, following the dismissal of the Tzabar Battalion commander on suspicion of sexual harassment, the Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, decided to issue him a command note, stating that "in this event, it was necessary to act according to the procedures and orders and to be familiar with them alongside the command handling." However, Gantz emphasized that his involvement in the event was "professional, ethical, and sharp."

On April 29, 2015, he received the MAFAT Award for Creative Thinking. The award was given to him, a team from MAFAT-Ministry of Defense, Shayetet 13, and the companies Rafael and Artemis for the "Snake Pit" project – a system that combines several technologies to deal with the underground threat, which was integrated during Operation Protective Edge and proved to have significant operational contribution.

On June 21, 2015, he completed his role. He then attended the National Security College in the 43rd cohort (2015–2016).

Brigadier General Roles
On July 13, 2016, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and appointed Chief of Staff of the Central Command, a position he held until September 2018. On October 11, 2018, he was appointed Military Secretary to the Minister of Defense. During his tenure, he served under Defense Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, and Benny Gantz. He served in this role until July 2, 2020. On August 9, 2020, he was appointed commander of the Fire Formation. On June 9, 2021, the Chief of Staff, Aviv Kohavi, reprimanded him for a conversation he had with Knesset member Naftali Bennett without approval and without reporting it to his superiors, contrary to IDF regulations prohibiting direct contact between servicemen and elected officials. He completed his role in the Fire Formation on September 21, 2022, and went to study at Reichman University.

On the morning of October 7 attack, upon receiving the first reports of the surprise attack by the Hamas organization, he arrived on his own initiative at the front, joined the fighters in Be'eri area, and participated in a battle in which 11 terrorists were killed.

On May 8, 2024, the Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, informed Winter of the end of his service in the IDF.

Personal life
Winter resides in Mitzpe Netofa, married to Revital and father of eight. One of his daughters is married to the son of Ofek Buchris.