Scienceיגאל שוחט

Yigal Shochat

Yigal Shochat is an Israeli ear, nose and throat physician and former fighter pilot who was taken prisoner in Egypt in 1970 and later served as chief medical officer of the Israeli Air Force.

Captivity in Egypt in 1970Air Force chief medical officerSupport for the refusal movement

Occupation: physician, fighter pilot
Rank: aluf mishne
Wars: Six-Day War, War of Attrition, Yom Kippur War

The story of Yigal Shochat's life

Yigal Shochat was born on September 30, 1944. He became a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force.

In the Six-Day War he flew with Squadron 105 and took part in strikes in Syria. His plane was shot down over Sinai on June 7, 1967, and pilot Amnon Gilad rescued him. He later flew the Phantom and took part in the War of Attrition.

On August 3, 1970, his Phantom was hit by missiles near Ismailia during a strike on Egyptian missile batteries. He was badly wounded in the legs, captured, and his right leg was amputated in an Egyptian hospital. His navigator Moshe Goldwasser died in captivity, and Shochat was returned to Israel on August 15, 1970.

He kept flying light aircraft and served as a staff officer in the Yom Kippur War. He studied medicine at Tel Aviv University, married Orit, daughter of Yaffa Yarkoni, in 1975, and trained in ear, nose and throat medicine at Ichilov Hospital. He later returned to the IDF as the Air Force's chief medical officer with the rank of colonel.

He is a member of Physicians for Human Rights and supports the refusal movement. In May 2021 he signed a letter to the International Criminal Court about Israeli rule in Judea and Samaria.

Yigal Shochat's life in 6 milestones

1944
Born on September 30.
1967
Shot down over Sinai and rescued in the Six-Day War.
1970
Shot down near Ismailia and taken prisoner in Egypt.
1970
Returned from captivity on August 15.
1975
Married Orit, daughter of Yaffa Yarkoni.
2021
Signed a letter to the International Criminal Court.

Yigal Shochat served in IDF Pilot Course

He was a fighter pilot in Squadron 105 and later a Phantom pilot, fought in the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition, and was a prisoner of war in Egypt in 1970. He served as a major on the staff in the Yom Kippur War and later as the Air Force's chief medical officer with the rank of colonel.

IDF Pilot Course