David Barnea

David Barnea was born in 1965 in Ashkelon

Barnea was born in Ashkelon and grew up in Rishon Lezion. His father, Joseph, fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1933, fought in the Palmach and later served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. His mother, Naomi, was born aboard the ship Patria and worked as a teacher and school principal.

He attended the Military Boarding School for Command in Tel Aviv and enlisted in the IDF in 1983, serving in Sayeret Matkal. He then studied in the United States, earning a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology and an MBA from Pace University. Afterward he worked as a business manager at an investment bank in Israel.

Barnea joined the Mossad in 1996 and served in Europe, sharing the Israel Defense Prize in 2003. He was deputy head of the Keshet Division, head of the Tzomet Division from 2013 and deputy head of the Mossad from 2019. He became head of the Mossad in June 2021 and led an organizational reform.

During the Gaza war he headed the negotiating team for the release of hostages held by Hamas, working with Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators. He was among those responsible for the hostage deals of November 2023 and January 2025. He left office in June 2026 and was succeeded by Roman Gofman, whose appointment he had opposed.

In August 2026 he became global president and chairman of Ondas Defense. He is married and has 4 children.