Ron Arad

Ron Arad was born in 1958 in Magdiel

Ron Arad was born on 5 May 1958. His parents, Dov and Batya Arad, were born in Romania. He grew up in Magdiel, now part of Hod HaSharon, and studied at the military boarding school in Tel Aviv.

He joined the IDF in 1978 and completed the flight course as a combat navigator in 1979. He served as a Phantom navigator. In 1982 he married Tami, and their daughter Yuval was born in 1985.

In October 1985 he began studying chemical engineering at the Technion in Haifa. On 16 October 1986 his Phantom was damaged by a bomb over southern Lebanon. He and pilot Yishai Aviram ejected. Aviram was rescued by a Cobra helicopter, and Arad was captured by Amal.

He was held by Mustafa Dirani. In 1987 letters and photos showed he was alive, but talks for his release failed in 1988. His trace was lost in May 1988 near the village of Al-Nabi Shayth.

Israel searched for him for decades. A 2004 commission concluded he died between 1993 and 1997. In 2016 a Mossad and military intelligence investigation concluded he had died in 1988.