Yitzhak Gibli

Yitzhak Gibli was born in 1930 in Egypt

Yitzhak Gibli was born in 1930 in Egypt to Sarah and Avraham Yahya Gibli. He came to the Land of Israel as a baby, and his family settled in north Tel Aviv. Because the family was in hardship, he was sent to be raised in Moshav Tel Adashim.

At 17 he joined the Palmach and fought in the War of Independence. He later drove for Rehavam Zeevi in the IDF and joined Unit 101 in 1953. After Unit 101 merged with Paratroopers Battalion 890 in 1954, he served in the unit later called Sayeret Matkal.

On 29 June 1954 he took part in the Baruch 1 reprisal raid on the Jordanian Legion camp at Azzun and was badly wounded. When carrying him slowed the force, he told his comrades to leave him, and he was taken prisoner by Jordan. His comrades carried out raids to capture Jordanian soldiers for an exchange, and he was freed in a prisoner swap at the end of October 1954.

After leaving the IDF he worked at Egged, then for the Shin Bet as a security officer at Israeli embassies and on El Al flights. He also served the Mossad as a driver and guard in France. He received the Medal of Courage in April 1973, and he died in Tel Aviv in 2008, survived by a wife, 2 children and grandchildren.