Ex-Hospital Spokesman Says Mossad Sent Israeli Doctor Who Saved Erdoğan
The unverified claim raises questions about who authorized the mission, whether U.S. officials knew, how it fits with past discreet medical ties.
Overview
- Avi Shoshan, the former spokesman for Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, said on Channel 14 on Wednesday that Mossad arranged and an Israeli physician flew to Turkey to provide emergency treatment that saved President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
- Shoshan said the mission was carried out at Mossad's request and with approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while praising former Mossad chief David Barnea, but he declined to name the doctor involved.
- The account builds on earlier 2022 reporting that Erdoğan had received medical consultation from Ichilov cardiologist Prof. Yitzchok Itzhak Shapira, but those older reports did not allege a covert Mossad rescue mission.
- Israeli and Turkish authorities have not confirmed Shoshan’s claims, no independent corroboration has emerged, and key details about the timing, medical condition, and participants remain unverified.
- If true, the allegation would highlight a contrast between private lifesaving cooperation and public hostility and could prompt scrutiny of Israeli decision-making and whether allied governments, including the U.S., were informed.