Former Ichilov Spokesman Says Mossad Sent Israeli Doctor to Save Erdogan's Life

Former Ichilov Hospital spokesman Avi Shoshan told Channel 14 on Wednesday that the Mossad quietly arranged, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval, for a senior Ichilov physician to travel to Turkey roughly seven years ago and treat Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a life-threatening illness. Shoshan said Erdogan had developed a serious undisclosed condition, that Israel's intelligence service asked Netanyahu to authorize the sensitive medical mission, that the physician administered treatment that ultimately saved the Turkish leader's life, and that he would not name the doctor. A 2022 Israeli report had already tied the case to Prof. Yitzhak Shapira, Deputy Director-General of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center known as Ichilov, who declined to comment. The revelation lands as Erdogan escalates anti-Zionist rhetoric against Israel and Netanyahu publicly opposes a U.S. F-35 sale to Ankara.