IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered the armed forces to use the name “War of Revival” in official events and documents, complying with a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally rename the war that began on October 7.
Zamir instructed senior generals to adopt the new name in ceremonies, official records and formal settings. The directive does not necessarily apply to junior officers or tactical-level use. Until now, the military had referred to the war as “Swords of Iron,” the name assigned on October 7.
Netanyahu’s request appears to have followed remarks by Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, who said at a flight course graduation ceremony on Sunday that the peak activity of Israel’s attack helicopter fleet occurred during "Swords of Iron war." Netanyahu attended the ceremony. Zamir did not use either name, referring instead to the conflict as “the longest and most complex in our history.”
In October, as fighting in Gaza resumed, Cabinet ministers formally approved Netanyahu’s proposal to change the war’s name. Minister Amichai Chikli abstained from the vote, while Minister Orit Strock opposed it. The remaining ministers supported renaming the October 7 war from “Swords of Iron,” which Netanyahu said was a temporary designation, to “War of Revival.”
Netanyahu said at the time that Israel had risen from the “terrible disaster of October 7,” regained its footing and struck back forcefully at its enemies. He described the conflict as “the war of revival of our people, a direct continuation of the War of Independence.”
The decision angered some bereaved families, who said the move amounted to political spin and could undermine investigations into failures surrounding the October 7 attack. Some expressed concern that the names on their children’s gravestones could be changed.
The proposal stressed that the decision does not obligate bereaved families. The Defense Ministry’s Families, Commemoration and Heritage Department said any change to headstones would be carried out only in full coordination with families. Implementation of the government decision will be presented to the public council for the commemoration of fallen soldiers, which includes representatives of bereaved families and relevant organizations, the ministry said.
Netanyahu first raised the proposal to rename the war during a special memorial meeting on October 7, 2024, marking one year since the Hamas-led attack and the security failures surrounding it. While “Swords of Iron” was initially assigned by the military as an operational name, Netanyahu had sought an alternative as early as December 2023.
Government officials said the aim was to move from an operation name to a war designation reflecting the conflict’s historical significance. In closed discussions months after the attack, military representatives proposed calling it the “October 7 War.” Other options considered included “Simchat Torah War,” while Netanyahu at one point backed the name “Genesis War” before settling on “War of Revival.”