Moshe Marzouk (; or Musa Lieto Marzuk, ; born 20 December 1926 – 31 January 1955) was an Egyptian Karaite

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

, who was hanged in 1955 for his involvement in a series of bombings in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

codenamed '' Operation Suzannah''. Marzouk was born in Cairo to a Karaite family who had emigrated from

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

in the early 20th century, though they retained

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

citizenship. While working as a surgeon at the Jewish Hospital in Cairo in the early 1950s, he was recruited as a spy by Israeli military intelligence, along with other young

Egyptian Jews The history of the Jews in Egypt goes back to ancient times. Egyptian Jews or Jewish Egyptians refer to the Jewish community in Egypt who mainly consisted of Egyptian Arabic-speaking Rabbanites and Karaites. Though Egypt had its own community ...

. In 1954 the group carried out a series of bombings, targeting the post office in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, two libraries in Cairo and Alexandria, and a movie theatre. There were no casualties. These actions triggered an Israeli political crisis later known as the

Lavon Affair The Lavon affair was a failed Israeli covert operation, codenamed Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the summer of 1954. As part of a false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence to pla ...

. Marzouk and his group were caught and tried, during which time they were allegedly tortured. Marzouk was executed in a Cairo prison. His remains were brought to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and buried on

Mount Herzl Mount Herzl ( ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside the Jerusalem Forest. I ...

References

External links

The Lavon Affair: Israel and Terror in Egypt
Mideastweb.org 1926 births 1955 deaths Karaite Jews 20th-century Egyptian Jews Egyptian people convicted of spying for Israel Mossad agents convicted of crimes Terrorism in Egypt Egypt–Israel relations People executed by Egypt by hanging Executed Egyptian people People from Cairo Executed spies Burials at Mount Herzl 20th-century executions by Egypt Egyptian people of Tunisian descent {{Egypt-bio-stub Bombers (people)

See also

References

External links