Khaled al-Hafez, son of former Syrian President Amin al-Hafez, has told various media outlets in New Zealand about his offer to reveal the location of the hidden burial site of Israel spy Eli Cohen, who was executed by Khaled’s father.

“I am the son of the only man on the planet who knows where his bones are buried,” Khaled told reporters from the Newshub agency. Khaled has been identified as a Syrian refugee living in New Zealand.

“I cooperated with New Zealand’s secret service, who has a working relationship with the  Mossad with the goal of helping them locate the remains of Eli Cohen.”

Khaled said that in the past he didn’t want to reveal the whereabouts for money, or to assist the Mossad, but rather he wanted to help the wife and children of Cohen.”

Khaled asked for a million dollars to begin assisting in finding the remains but said that after he got the initial okay from the secret service agent, nothing moved forward.

The Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand, as well as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, refused to comment on the issue when asked.

In July of 2018, YWN reported that there had been an agreement between Israel and Syria to have the remains transferred to Israel. The remains were to undergo DNA testing and if it turns out that they are Cohen’s, Israel will be willing to relax its position regarding the deployment of the Syrian army on the northern border.

The report also had said that Cohen’s family recently heard his last words before he was executed. The recording was accompanied by sad music, and Cohen was heard talking to his wife, Nadia. He asked her to look after herself and the children, to remarry and to take care of his children’s education. The spy wanted to make sure that she told the children about him, so they would be proud of him in the future and invited her to pray for his neshama.

YWN reminds our readers that last summer it was reported that the Mossad returned Cohen’s wristwatch to Israel. Mossad Director Yossi Cohen presented the Cohen family with the wristwatch during the memorial ceremony for the Israeli spy. The Mossad said: “The precious item is now displayed at the Mossad headquarters as a signal and memory for the legendary fighter and on Rosh Hashana, the watch will be transferred to the family.”

Cohen infiltrated Syria’s leadership in the early 1960s and obtained top-secret intelligence before he was caught and executed in 1965.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)