Aliza Magen-Halevi
Aliza Magen-Halevi | |
|---|---|
| Native name | עליזה מגן-הלוי |
| Born | 1937 Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | 14 April 2025 (aged 87–88) |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service | Mossad |
| Years of service | 1958–1999 |
| Rank | Deputy Director |
Aliza Magen-Halevi (Hebrew: עליזה מגן-הלוי; 1937 – 14 April 2025) was an Israeli intelligence officer. She served in the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, for over 40 years from 1958 to 1999, participating in hundreds of covert operations, including Operation Damocles, Operation Diamond, and Operation Wrath of God.
In 1990, she was named the Mossad's deputy director, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the agency's history. She served in this position under three Mossad directors until her retirement in 1999.
Early life
[edit]Magen was born to German immigrants in Mandatory Palestine[1] in 1937 and grew up in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem.[2][3] She married Avraham Magen, who died in 2011. The couple had no children.[1]
Career
[edit]After joining the Mossad in 1958,[4] she became involved in hundreds of covert operations in Israel and abroad. In the 1960s, she participated in Operation Damocles for which she was sent to Salzburg, Austria, in 1962 to recruit a German scientist who was working for Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. She later worked at the Mossad station in Germany.[5] Magen also participated in Operation Diamond, the Mossad operation to recruit Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa.[6]
According to Magen-Halevi, her reports attracted the attention of then-director Isser Harel. Harel assigned Magen-Halevi and Mossad officer Yehudit Nessyahu to locate Yossele Schumacher, who had been abducted by his Haredi Orthodox Jewish grandparents. Magen-Halevi convinced Ruth Ben David, who had smuggled Schumacher out of Israel, to reveal Schumacher's location.[7] She was also involved in Operation Wrath of God, the Mossad's retaliation campaign after the 1972 Munich massacre.[2][3]
In 1980, Magen was appointed deputy head of the Tzomet Branch, then became head of the Administration Branch in 1984.[6] Magen-Halevi was appointed deputy director of the Mossad in 1990[8] and served under three successive Mossad directors: Shabtai Shavit, Danny Yatom, and Efraim Halevy.[7][3] As deputy director, Magen took part in planning for a failed assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and approved the operation to install bugging devices in the Switzerland apartment of Hezbollah fundraiser Abdullah Zein.[6]
She was publicly identified by the first letter of her name in a profile run by Yediot Ahronot as part of Israel's newspaper wars of the 1990s. She was asked to stay on as deputy director when Efraim Halevy was appointed director in March 1998.[9] She retired the following year.[3][4]
Magen was among the female Mossad operatives profiled by Israeli journalists Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal in their 2021 book The Mossad Amazons.[10]
Death and legacy
[edit]Magen died on 14 April 2025.[a][3][4]
Upon her death, the Mossad released a statement saying, "The Mossad family bows its head in deep sorrow over the loss of our comrade Aliza – a respected, trailblazing and dedicated commander who devoted her life to the security of Israel and its citizens. Aliza was one of the pillars of the Mossad, and she left a profound mark on generations of agency personnel, who were trained according to her legacy and values."[1]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Shoval, Lilach (14 April 2025). "Mossad's only female deputy director Aliza Magen dies at 88". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ a b Waltzer, Yael (8 March 2023). "חיילות ומפקדות קרביות בצה"ל: חלק מהצורך, הוכחה לשוויון". Ynet News (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Levaton, Stav (14 April 2025). "Aliza Magen, Mossad's only female deputy director, dies at 88". Times of Israel. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Mossad's most-senior female commander dies at 88". Jewish News Syndicate. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Melman, Yossi (6 June 2007). "ריגלתי, אבל לא בגדתי". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Shalev, Tal (14 April 2025). "עליזה מגן, המשנה לראש המוסד לשעבר, הלכה לעולמה בגיל 88". Walla (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ a b Shoan, Amir (1 February 2018). "'If she wants to, a woman can head the Mossad'". Ynet. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Joseph, Anne (15 November 2018). "Mossad unveiled: Human side of the world's most mysterious intelligence agency". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Katz, Mayn (2005). Song of Spies. Heliographica. p. 278. ISBN 1933037733. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Horowitz, Guy (15 March 2021). "New Book Reveals the 'Amazons of the Mossad'". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Aderet, Ofer (14 April 2025). "עליזה מגן, המשנה לשעבר לראש המוסד והאישה הבכירה בארגון, מתה בגיל 87". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 April 2025.