The woman who reached the highest position in the history of the Israeli foreign intelligence agency "Mossad" - Aliza Magen, has died at the age of 88, DPA reported, quoted by BTA and dariknews.bg.
Magen was born in Jerusalem to a Jewish family from the German city of Frankfurt. She was a "respected, innovative and dedicated commander", the "Mossad" said in a statement, adding that she had "dedicated her life to the security of Israel and its citizens".
During her career, Magen rose to the highest position ever held by a woman in the Israeli secret services, in the 1990s, when she became deputy director of the "Mossad". She remained in that position under three directors of the intelligence service until her retirement in 1999.
In 2015, Magen spoke about her career at an event dedicated to the special role of Jews of German descent in Israeli intelligence.
She described how she was recruited by the "Mossad" as a young woman and how when she started working "there was a great demand for German-speaking employees.".
"At that time, prominent Nazis like Josef Mengele were still being intensively sought," she said, referring to the infamous Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp.