David Zini is the new head of Israel's domestic security agency whose hardline views and alleged opposition to a Gaza ceasefire have earned him criticism from families of hostages, but praise from the far right.
Zini, 51, was appointed on Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head Shin Bet, nearly two years into a war the Israeli leader appears keen to keep fighting.
But Zini's selection has drawn fierce opposition from multiple quarters in Israel, not least from families of hostages held in Gaza.
The retired general has reportedly opposed hostage release negotiations, declared the conflict with Palestinian fighters "an eternal war".
Those leaked comments sparked outrage among relatives of the captives.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum addressed a letter to Zini in May, published on X, saying "your words shook our world" and demanding he make clear his "commitment for the return of the hostages."
However, far-right coalition members celebrated the appointment on Friday morning.
"Congratulations to Maj. Gen. Zini... The time for a correction has come," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on social media, in an apparent reference to clashes between the former head of the Shin Bet and the government.
A former major general in the Israeli army, Zini was forced to resign in May after conducting a secret interview with Netanyahu for the Shin Bet post without informing his superior, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, according to Israeli media reports.
The controversy deepened in June when Zini described himself as "messianic" during a speech in his farewell ceremony from the army.
"We are all messianic, like David Ben-Gurion and the founding fathers of the nation," he was reported as saying, referring to Israel's first prime minister.
The term is used in Israeli political discourse to refer to far-right religious beliefs, particularly within the settler movement who believe the occupied West Bank and Gaza were granted to the Jewish people by God.
"Tell me what messianism is and I will tell you if I am messianic. Messianic is not a dirty word," he added.
Reports surfaced last year that Netanyahu himself had previously dismissed Zini as "too messianic" after interviewing him for another position.
However, the prime minister denied those allegations in a May video statement defending the proposed appointment.
"I have heard (rumors) that I rejected him, or that I barely knew him," Netanyahu said. "I have known him for 18 years... I interviewed him, we spoke at length. He was on top of my list... I think he will make an excellent Shin Bet chief," he said in a clip he published on X.
Zini is an observant Jew and father to 11 children. He belongs to the Religious Zionist movement, the ideological backbone of the settlement enterprise.
The left-wing Israeli daily Haaretz has described him as "Netanyahu's most alarming appointment to date."
He has also reportedly upbraided the judiciary in private, describing it as a "dictatorship that controls the entire country" according to the newspaper.
In 2023, Israel experienced widespread protests following a series of far-reaching judicial reforms put forward by Netanyahu's government that critics said were designed to weaken the courts.
