David Barnea

David "Dadi" Barnea (Hebrew: דוד (דדי) ברנע; born 29 March 1965) is an Israeli intelligence chief who serves as the current director of the Mossad, having taken over from Yossi Cohen in June 2021.^[1]

David Barnea
דוד ברנע‎
Barnea in 2023
Director of Mossad
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2021
Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu Naftali Bennett Yair Lapid
Preceded by	Yossi Cohen
Personal details
Born	(1965-03-29) 29 March 1965 (age 60) Ashkelon, Israel
Education	New York Institute of Technology (BS) Pace University (MBA)

Early life and education

Barnea was born in Ashkelon and grew up in Rishon Lezion. His father, Joseph Brunner (Barnea), fled with his family from Nazi Germany and immigrated to Israel at the age of three. Joseph was a graduate of the Hapoel HaMizrachi Yeshiva in Bnei Brak and joined the Palmach at the age of 16. He fought with the Third Battalion of the organization in Nabi Yusha and Safed and then served as an officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. He was also a manager at Tadiran. His mother, Naomi, was born on board the SS Patria and worked as a teacher and school principal.^[2]

Barnea studied at the Military Boarding School for Command in Tel Aviv,⁣^[3] and enlisted in the IDF in 1983. He did his military service with the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal). He later studied in the United States, obtaining a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology and an MBA from Pace University. He then worked as a business manager at an investment bank in Israel.^[4]

Career

In 1996, Barnea joined the Mossad. He served in the Tzomet Division, commanding operational units in Israel and abroad. For two and a half years, he served as deputy head of the Keshet Division, which is tasked with infiltrating and monitoring targets. In 2013, he was appointed head of the Tzomet Division.^[5] While Barnea ran Tsomet, four awards for Israeli national security were presented to the division. In 2019, he was appointed deputy head of the Mossad. In June 2021, he was appointed head of the Mossad.

After the beginning of Gaza war, Barnea pushed for a deal with Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages. On 9 November 2023, Barnea met with CIA director William J. Burns and Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha. The possibilities of a ceasefire and the release of hostages were discussed. In addition to CIA chief Burns, Barnea was also included in the talks between US president Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the release of hostages.^[6][7] Barnea prevailed against Netanyahu, who is said to have long preferred a purely military solution.^[8]

In July 2025, Barnea asked the US for assistance in persuading countries in Asia and Africa to accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza.^[9]

Personal life

Barnea is married and is a father of four. He has a Haredi brother.^[10]