Itzhak Ilan

Itzhak Ilan was born in 1956 in Surami

Itzhak Ilan was born on 28 July 1956 in Surami, in central Georgia. In 1973 he finished high school in Tbilisi with honors. On 17 August 1973 he moved to Israel with his family and settled in Jerusalem.

From 1976 to 1980 he served in the air defense forces of the Israeli Air Force. He later earned a bachelor's degree from Bar-Ilan University and a master's degree in diplomacy and security from Tel Aviv University.

He joined the Israel Security Agency in January 1982, working against Russian espionage. In 1985 he moved to the Arab sector and became an interrogator in Ramallah. From 1995 to 1997 he headed the Gaza desk and had a key role in the operation against Yahya Ayyash.

He led the agency in Samaria from 2000 to 2003, during the Second Intifada. He then headed the interrogations division, the Arab division and the Israeli and foreign affairs division, where he oversaw the capture of Jack Teitel. In 2010 he became deputy director and served until September 2011.

In 2011 he competed with Yoram Cohen to head the agency but was not chosen. After retiring he examined the Tair Rada murder case on his own and ran on the Blue and White list without entering the Knesset. He died on 16 October 2020 of complications of the coronavirus.