Yaakov Shabtai

Yaakov Shabtai was born in 1964 in Ashkelon

Shabtai was born on November 11, 1964, in Ashkelon to parents who immigrated from Iraq. He grew up in the city's Shikunim neighborhood, the third of 4 children. As a teenager he was active in the Civil Guard.

He enlisted in the IDF in 1982 and began technical studies, then chose combat service. He joined Battalion 202 of the Paratroopers Brigade and commanded a platoon and a company. He left the army in 1987 as a captain, and later earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's in education.

In 1991 he joined the Border Police, where he helped found its undercover unit in Gaza and was wounded several times in operations. He later commanded police districts in Samaria and Sharon. In February 2016 he became commander of the Border Police.

He became police commissioner on January 17, 2021. In 2024 a state commission of inquiry into the Mount Meron disaster, in which 45 people died, found him personally responsible. His term was extended because of the Gaza war, and he left office on July 17, 2024.