Former Israeli Defense Forces ( IDF) chief of staff and government minister Amnon Lipkin-Shahak passed away Wednesday at the age of 68 in a hospital in Jerusalem.

Lipkin-Shahak, who was diagnosed with leukemia in the past, died a day after he was hospitalized in critical condition, officials did not state the cause of death.

Born in 1944 in Tel Aviv, Lipkin-Shahak joined the Paratroopers Brigade in 1962, and was twice awarded the Medal of Courage for army operations in Jordan in 1968 and Lebanon in 1973.

Lipkin-Shahak took over the IDF's top post in 1995 from current Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and retired in 1998 after serving for 36 years in the army.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Lipkin- Shahak "a hero of Israel, who gave his best years in the defense of Israel."

In the 15th Knesset (Israeli parliament) under Barak as prime minister, Lipkin-Shahak served as both tourism and transport minister.