Imprisoned in Egypt for 14 Years: Who is the Israeli Spy Robert Dassa?
Israeli spy Robert Dassa, known for his involvement in espionage operations in Egypt, has passed away at the age of 90.
Born on May 8, 1933, in Alexandria, northern Egypt, Robert Dassa was the third child of two Jewish families, with his parents being Zahra and Nasim Dassa.
Robert received his education at the Jewish community’s elementary school in Egypt and then continued his studies at a local high school.
According to Israeli sources, Robert Dassa joined the Zionist youth movement, where a Zionist activist named Dr. Chaim (Victor) Saadia assigned him the mission of infiltrating “Dror,” a socialist Zionist youth movement, with the aim of attracting them to the “Bnei Akiva” movement.
Potential Candidate
In 1951, the Israeli army sent an officer named Captain Abraham Dar to Egypt to recruit Jewish activists, and Robert was identified as a potential candidate.
Spy Dassa was recruited alongside several young Jews in Cairo and Alexandria and was organized into small groups, working in secrecy and pretending to be ordinary young people not affiliated with any Zionist currents.
By the end of 1952, Robert was called for training in Israel, with the condition of leaving Egypt being his enrollment in university studies in France.
After being accepted, he arrived in Israel via France in January 1953, where he underwent an intensive training program.
In 1954, the British government’s decision to withdraw its troops from Egypt raised serious concerns in Israel. Consequently, military intelligence proposed conducting sabotage operations against British and American facilities in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Robert returned to Egypt and participated in operations that led to fires without injuries. The next day, upon returning home, he was arrested, charged, and put on trial.
In January 1955, Robert Dassa was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. He was released from prison in February 1968 as part of a prisoner exchange following the 1967 war.
Robert married his wife Dina, and they had three children and seven grandchildren. Robert worked as a journalist in the Arabic section of the Israel Public Broadcasting Authority for many years.
