Militaryזיו שילון

Ziv Shilon

Ziv Shilon is an Israeli entrepreneur, lecturer and social activist who lost his left hand while serving as a Givati Brigade officer on the Gaza border in 2012.

born 1988Wounded Givati officerProjects for wounded soldiers and youthIronman with disabled handsDefense Ministry rehabilitation reform

Born: 10 May 1988, Beersheba

Ziv Shilon was born in 1988 in Beersheba

Ziv Shilon was born on May 10, 1988, in Beersheba, the youngest child of Margalit, a kindergarten teacher, and Zvi, who worked in textiles. He finished high school in Beersheba and played youth basketball for Hapoel Beersheba.

He joined the Givati Brigade in 2006 and became a company commander with the rank of captain. On October 23, 2012, a bomb at the Gaza border fence severed his left hand and badly damaged his right. He went through 11 months of rehabilitation and later studied law at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, graduating in 2017.

Shilon started social projects linking wounded soldiers with youth at risk, including a program at Ofek Prison in 2016. In 2017 he co-founded OurGoods, and he later helped develop an Xbox controller for players with disabilities. In April 2021 Defense Minister Benny Gantz put him in charge of reforming the ministry's rehabilitation division.

He completed the Berlin Marathon in 2015 and an Ironman triathlon in Arizona in 2018. He lives in Herzliya with his wife and three children.

Ziv Shilon's life in 8 milestones

1988
Born in Beersheba.
2006
Joined the Givati Brigade.
2012
Lost his left hand to a bomb on the Gaza border.
2015
Completed the Berlin Marathon.
2016
Left active IDF service.
2017
Co-founded OurGoods and completed his law degree.
2018
Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and completed an Ironman.
2021
Appointed to lead reform of the Defense Ministry's rehabilitation division.

Ziv Shilon served in Givati Brigade

Shilon served in the Givati Brigade from 2006, took part in Operation Cast Lead, and commanded a company in the Tzabar Battalion as a captain. He was severely wounded on the Gaza border in 2012 and left active service in December 2016.

Givati Brigade