Yogev Bar Sheshet
- Battalion 50
- Yoav Brigade
- 2006 Lebanon War
- Operation Brother's Keeper
- Operation Protective Edge
- Israel–Hamas war
Yogev Bar Sheshet (Hebrew: יוגב בר ששת; born 1979) is an officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with the rank of brigadier general. He currently serves as Deputy Comptroller of the Israel security establishment. Previously, he served as Deputy Head of the Civil Administration, Deputy Commander of the Steel Formation, Commander of the Yoav Brigade, Operations Officer of the Southern Command, and Commander of Battalion 50.
Bar Sheshet was moderately wounded during the Israel–Hamas war. As of May 2024[update], he was the most senior IDF officer wounded during the war.
Biography
Bar Sheshet attended the Military Boarding School for Command at Merkaz Shapira. He enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and was placed in Battalion 51 of the Golani Brigade. He underwent training as a fighter, and took the Infantry Commanders Course [he] and Infantry Officers Course [he]. At the end of the course, he was appointed as a company commander in the Bislamach Brigade. Subsequently, he served as a deputy company commander and later as a company commander in Bislamach. He then moved to the Nahal Brigade and was appointed as a company commander, serving in this role during the Second Lebanon War.[1] After the war, he was appointed as the commander of Nahal's advanced training company. He later served as the Deputy Commander of Battalion 50 and subsequently as the commander of the advanced training cycle in Nahal Training Base.[1][2]
In 2012, Bar Sheshet was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed as the commander of the Northern Battalion, a regional battalion in the Bar'am Formation, and served in this position until 2014.[3] In May 2014, he was appointed as the commander of Battalion 50, leading it during Operation Brother's Keeper, and then again in Beit Hanoun during Operation Protective Edge, ending his role on June 21, 2016.[1] Afterwards, he was appointed as the Operations Officer of the Southern Command between 2016 and 2019.[4] On June 19, 2019, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed as the commander of the Yoav Brigade, a position he held until September 12, 2021.[4][5][6] In 2021, he was appointed as Deputy Commander of the Steel Formation, serving in this position until 2022.[2][4] In August 2022, he was appointed as Deputy Head of the Civil Administration. On September 3, 2023, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, and appointed as Deputy Comptroller of the Israel security establishment.[4][5]
During the Israel–Hamas war, Bar Sheshet petitioned Civil Administration head Fares Atila [he] to allow him to take command of the Nahal Brigade after its previous commander, Yonatan Steinberg, was killed in the fighting.[4][5] Bar Sheshet was serving as Battalion Commander B when he was moderately wounded by shrapnel that hit him in the shoulder[4] during an operation in the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza.[7] Bar Sheshet, who was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital, was the most senior IDF officer to be wounded during the war as of May 2024[update].[4][8][9]
Opinions
Bar Sheshet has been outspoken on political and military affairs as they pertain to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Regarding operations commanded in Jenin, he said "I told the soldiers that there is no joy in seeing a person killed, even if it is a terrorist. There is no sense of transcendence. You are happy that you completed the mission and that the terrorist will no longer harm other civilians. This is purity of arms. You do the best you can. Professional, sharp. We are not bloodthirsty".[1] During the initial phase of the Israel–Hamas war he said, referring to Palestinians who had been displaced from their homes in the Gaza Strip, "Whoever returns here, if they return here after, will find scorched earth. No houses, no agriculture, no nothing. They have no future."[10] The statement was cited in South Africa's genocide case against Israel.[11]
Personal life
Bar Sheshet lives in Neta, is married, and has six children. Although he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home, he is no longer observant.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Levy, Eyal (2016-02-20). ""הדבר האמיתי": גבול לבנון מעיני לוחמי הנח"ל שעל הגדר" [The Real Thing: Lebanese Border Through The Eyes of Nahal Fighters On The Fence]. Maariv (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ a b Yoeli, Aryeh (2024-05-12). "תא"ל יוגב בר-ששת נפצע בינוני מירי במרכז הרצועה" [Brigadier General Yogev Bar Sheshet Moderately Wounded By Gunfire in Strip Centre]. Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Mizrahi, Yossi (2013-04-06). "שקט מתעתע בגבול הצפון: לצד המטיילים נערכים בצה"ל לתרחיש מלחמה" [Deceptive Silence At the Northern Border: Alongside Sightseers, IDF Prepares For a War Scenario]. Keshet 12. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g Siman Tov, Tziporah (2024-05-12). "הותר לפרסום: תא"ל יוגב בר ששת נפצע באורח בינוני ברצועת עזה" [Cleared for Publication: Brigadier General Yogev Bar Sheshet Moderately Wounded In the Gaza Strip]. Now 14. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ a b c "Cleared for Publication: Dep. Defense Establishment Comptroller Moderately Wounded in Gaza". Arutz Sheva. 2024-05-12. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ "טקס חילופי מפקד חטיבת "יואב"" [Exchange Ceremony For the "Yoav" Brigade Commander]. idf.il. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (2024-05-12). "הותר לפרסום: תא"ל יוגב בר ששת נפצע בינוני מרסיסי ירי ביום שישי בזייתון" [Cleared for Publication: Brigadier General Yoav Bar Sheshet Moderately Wounded by Gunfire Shrapnel on Friday in Zeitoun]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2024-05-12). "Senior IDF Officer Moderately Wounded During Fighting in Gaza City on Friday". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "IDF Brig.-Gen. Wounded In Combat In Gaza Strip". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-05-12. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "Israel – Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza: Evidence Indicates Civilians Deliberately Denied Access to Food, Water". Human Rights Watch. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ Stack, Megan K. (2024-01-12). "Don't Turn Away From The Charges of Genocide Against Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-05-21.