Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Major General Roman Gofman as the next director of Mossad, marking one of the rare occasions in Israeli history where a senior military officer has been chosen to lead the foreign intelligence agency rather than a career intelligence operative. Gofman will take over from current Mossad chief David Barnea when Barnea’s five-year term expires in June 2026.
Gofman’s career trajectory stands out. Born in Belarus in 1976, he immigrated to Israel at age 14 and joined the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Armoured Corps in 1995. Over the years, he rose through the ranks and became a key battlefield commander. During the 2023 Gaza war, launched after Hamas’s October 7 attack, he headed the IDF’s national infantry training centre and was seriously wounded in combat in Sderot, near the Gaza border. After recovering, he was brought into Netanyahu’s inner circle in April 2024 as the prime minister’s military secretary—a move seen as signalling significant confidence and political alignment.
Like David Zini, the recently appointed Shin Bet chief, Gofman is transitioning directly from the military rather than from within the agency he will lead. This trend has prompted criticism from some analysts who argue that Netanyahu is favouring loyal military figures that align with his nationalist and religious Zionist worldview. Although Gofman does not follow orthodox Jewish practice, he studied at the Ely yeshiva, a right-wing religious Zionist institution in a West Bank settlement. Haaretz columnist Uri Misgav has described him as “unfit to head Mossad,” claiming that loyalty rather than intelligence experience drove Netanyahu’s choice.
Netanyahu’s office has strongly defended the appointment, praising Gofman as “an officer of great merit,” and highlighting the way he assumed the role of military secretary during wartime and immediately became involved in “the seven arenas of the war.” The Prime Minister’s Office stressed that Netanyahu considers him the most qualified candidate for Mossad director.
Although Mossad did not bear responsibility for the intelligence failure of October 7—because Palestinian territories fall primarily under the remit of Israel’s domestic intelligence service Shin Bet—the organisation has been crucial in Israel’s security operations since then. Mossad played a central role in the 2024 killing of Hezbollah’s general staff and in operations targeting Iranian forces during the 12-day Israel–Iran confrontation in June 2024.
Gofman’s appointment signals continuity in a national security strategy that prioritises high-intensity confrontation with Israel’s regional adversaries. It also tightens Netanyahu’s reliance on senior military figures who share his political instincts, even as critics warn of an erosion of institutional independence between the army, intelligence agencies and the political leadership.
