Militaryיצחק חופי

Isaac Hofi

Yitzhak Hofi was an IDF general who led the Northern Command in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and served as director of the Mossad from 1974 to 1982.

1927 to 2014Directing the MossadNorthern Command in 1973The 1976 Entebbe operation

Born: 25 January 1927, Tel Aviv
Died: 15 September 2014, Ramat Gan
Occupation: politician, military officer, intelligence officer, career officer
Rank: aluf
Wars: Entebbe raid, 1948 Palestine war, Suez Crisis, Six-Day War

Isaac Hofi was born in 1927 in Tel Aviv

Hofi was born in Tel Aviv to Rivka and Avraham Hofi, who had come from Odessa in 1922. He left high school because his parents could not pay the fees and joined a youth group at Kibbutz Maoz Haim.

He joined the Palmach in 1944 and commanded a company in the War of Independence, fighting at Mishmar HaEmek and Malkiya. In the IDF he led Battalion 51 of the Givati Brigade and was deputy commander of the Paratroopers Brigade in the Sinai campaign. He later commanded the officers school and the Paratroopers Brigade.

After studies in the United States, he headed the Operations Department of the General Staff during the Six Day War. From 1972 to 1974 he headed the Northern Command, and in 1974 he briefly served as acting Chief of Staff.

As Mossad director he pushed for the Entebbe rescue in 1976 and had the agency gather intelligence for it. He opposed the First Lebanon War and stayed out of its planning.

From 1982 to 1990 he was director general of the Israel Electric Corporation, and later chaired Tadiran. He died in 2014.

Milestones in Isaac Hofi's life

1927
Born in Tel Aviv.
1944
Joined the Palmach.
1965
Became head of the General Staff Operations Department.
1973
Led the Northern Command in the Yom Kippur War.
1974
Became director of the Mossad.
1976
Pushed for the Entebbe rescue operation.
1982
Became director general of the Israel Electric Corporation.
2014
Died.

Isaac Hofi served in Paratroopers Brigade

Hofi served in the Palmach from 1944 and in the IDF until 1974, commanding the Paratroopers Brigade from 1962 to 1964 and the Northern Command from 1972 to 1974. He reached the rank of major general and briefly served as acting Chief of Staff.

Paratroopers Brigade