Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that he has decided to shut down Army Radio over complaints that the station “harms the war effort and morale,” Israeli media reported.

Katz ordered broadcasts to cease by March 1, 2026 and said he will soon bring the proposal to the government for approval.

The Israeli DM said he will form a professional team within the Israeli Defense Ministry to oversee the station’s closure, assist civilian employees with fair termination arrangements, and preserve civilian sister station Galgalatz, which focuses on music.

Calling the operation of a civilian-style broadcaster by the military “an anomaly unheard of in any democratic country in the world,” Katz said the move is necessary to protect the Israeli military’s nonpartisan status.

“What was will no longer be,” he declared.

“Army Radio was established by the Israeli government as a military station to serve as a voice and ear for IDF soldiers and their families — not as a platform for opinions, many of which attack the IDF and its soldiers,” the Israeli DM said, referring to the occupation army forces.

“In recent years, particularly during the war, many soldiers and civilians — including bereaved families — have repeatedly complained that the station does not represent them and even harms the war effort and morale,” Katz added.

“Worse still, our enemies interpret these messages as if they are being conveyed by the IDF itself.”

Reactions

Commenting on the move, Army Radio head Tal Lev Ram said he will work to fight the decision.

“We received the defense minister’s announcement with complete surprise, without being given the opportunity to respond to the report submitted by the committee appointed by the minister,” Lev Ram says in a statement, referring to a report submitted to Katz last month that recommended closing the station.

“This comes after numerous flaws were found in the committee’s work, including conflicts of interest, a premeditated and biased selection of its members, and multiple manipulations in the presentation of the information submitted,” he said.

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Israeli Defense Minister Katz says the military radio station Galei Tzahal will be shut down by March 1, 2026, arguing it no longer serves its original purpose and that the army shouldn’t run a civilian station or join political debates. pic.twitter.com/kzUqhHRgTw

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For its part, The Israel Press Council, a representative body for major Israeli media outlets and headed by former Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, described the as “illegitimate and illegal,” and said that the station can only be closed via a Knesset move.

“The status of Army Radio is anchored in primary legislation, and only legislation can change the status of the station,” said the organization, in which Army Radio is a member.

Turning Point

The announcement marked a dramatic turning point in a lengthy controversy surrounding the military-run radio network, which has long been viewed as a cultural and political institution in the Zionist entity.

In September 2023, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant reversed earlier plans to privatize or shut down the station, instead pledging reforms and the appointment of a permanent commander with a military background.

But in March 2025, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi — echoing criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — urged Katz to shutter the station, claiming it had strayed from its founding purpose as a morale-building outlet for soldiers and had instead become “a political stronghold.”

Successive governments and Israeli chiefs of staff have debated whether the broadcaster should remain under military control, be transferred to civilian oversight or be closed altogether.

Source: Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar)