The remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen could be returning to Israel, Saudi state-run news outlet Al-Hadath reported on Sunday.
Eli Cohen was a Mossad agent who is best known for his work in Syria, where he developed close relationships with Syrian political and military sources. His cover was ultimately blown, and he was hanged for his crimes in Damascus in 1965.
“The Mossad doesn’t know anything. The Prime Minister’s Office is busy. I tried to talk to Hirsch and to meet with Trump, but I still haven’t received an answer,” Nadia Cohen, Eli's widow, told N12 News.
“It’s a bit audacious of me to ask when all the families are dealing with the hostages and the bereaved. The captives, the missing, and the bodies must be brought home," she added.
In a separate interview with Walla, she said that if Israeli officials had information about the transfer, they would have contacted her.
Cohen's brother, widow, cautious at news of spy's return
“I feel that if the Mossad had information about this, they would have informed us — I’m in touch with them. They said they haven’t heard and haven’t received such information, but a Mossad representative said he would speak with me later this evening.”
However, she noted her excitement at the potential of her late husband's return to Israel.
“Of course, there’s hope. I believe there’s some expectation that the Mossad knows something but doesn’t want to mix the issue of the hostages with the burial of my husband.”
“I need a block of ice to lie on just to cool down,” she told Walla. “I’m talking to you, and the tears just won’t stop. If it’s true, maybe part of the suffering will finally be lifted from us.”
Cohen's brother, Avraham, noted that he had heard the reports, but that no one had spoken with him.
Avraham Cohen said that he believed that he believed that the potential release of his brother's body was partially due to Trump's push for normalization talks with Syria.
“It’s possible. I asked the Mossad to speak with Trump to request that he allow the return of my brother’s body, and they told me that a request has already been sent on the matter.”
This comes after the Mossad reportedly seized 2,500 documents on Cohen. Reuters reported that Syria's leadership approved the handover of the belongings of Cohen to Israel in a bid to ease Israeli hostility and show goodwill to US President Donald Trump.
“They brought photos of Eli; I saw them. They invited us to the Mossad offices — there was a table more than 20 meters long, covered with Eli’s documents and photos. It looked like they had conducted a raid. I think [Abu Muhammad al-] Julani gave them the materials — maybe to Trump, maybe directly to the Mossad, I’m not sure.”