Amir Eshel

Amir Eshel was born in 1959 in Jaffa

Amir Eshel was born in Jaffa in 1959. His father, Yehezkel Eshel, was born in Iraq, came to the country in 1936 and fought with the Givati Brigade in the 1948 war. His mother Edna came from a family whose members were partly killed in the Holocaust.

He grew up in Ramat Gan. He studied at Auburn University in Alabama and later at the University of Haifa and the National Security College.

Eshel joined the IDF in 1977 and became a fighter pilot in 1979. He flew the Skyhawk in the 1982 Lebanon War and later commanded squadrons 110 and 201, and the Ramon and Tel Nof air bases. In 2003 he led 3 F-15 jets over Auschwitz, flying lower than agreed with Poland.

He became Air Force Chief of Staff in 2006 and head of the IDF Planning Directorate in 2008. He commanded the Air Force from 2012 to 2017, a period that included Operations Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge and the arrival of the F-35I.

After retiring, he advised Benny Gantz and in 2020 became Director General of the Ministry of Defense. He was also a leader of Pnima, a campaign for national service for all citizens.