Source:
DPAReports that an Israeli killed in the New Zealand earthquake in February was an intelligence agent were wrong, Prime Minister John Key said on Wednesday.
The Southland Times reported that an Israeli who was crushed in a van was found with at least five passports and was part of a group suspected of trying to hack into the police computer system.
But Key said an investigation found no evidence linking the group of four Israelis and their country's intelligence service, the Mossad.
"The unusual circumstances which triggered the investigation was the rapid departure from the country of the three surviving members of the group of Israelis in question," Key said.
Read more:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/new-zealand-pm-no-indication-that-israeli-killed-in-earthquake-was-a-mossad-spy-1.374211
ETA:
The body of Israeli backpacker, Ofer Mizrahi, was found on Sunday. Mizrahi, 23, of Kibbutz Magal, was at the wheel of a car carrying three of his friends when the earthquake struck and a concrete girder crushed the vehicle.
Michal Friedman and Liron Sadot, who were sitting in the back seat, managed to crawl out. Guy Yordan broke the passenger seat window and got himself out. But their efforts to get Mizrahi out of the car failed.
Orit Friedman, Michal's sister, said the three were making their way back to Israel.
"Michal sounded excited and stressed. She, Guy Yordan and Liron Sadot are on their way back. They were left with nothing but their passports, which they carried on them. The last time we spoke to her was on Tuesday night when they left Wellington," she said.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/authorities-identify-bodies-of-two-missing-israelis-in-rubble-of-new-zealand-earthquake-1.346415We saw him die, friends of Israeli missing after New Zealand quake sayThree friends of Ofer Mizrachi, the young Israeli that went missing in New Zealand, returned to Israel on Thursday and spoke of the difficult moments they experienced during the earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand.
Guy Yurdan, Mizrachi's travel mate for the last several months, said he wanted to let all those who are concerned for Mizrachi's life and are hoping for a miracle to know that he is no longer alive.
"He did not suffer, he died on the spot, and his body is awaiting identification," Yurdan said. "New Zealand authorities are delaying the process."
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Yurdan continued, "As we started to get out of the van, a huge heavy chunk of concrete fell on us. Ofer was in the driver's seat and I was sitting beside him. I saw that the women sitting in the back of the van had gotten out, and then I looked at Ofer and saw that he was hit. I grabbed him and saw that he had head wounds. I realized that he was killed instantly."
According to Yurdan, when the ground stopped shaking, "I broke the window, got out of the van, and called for help, but we were made to leave the area because the nearby building began to collapse. Later we were evacuated to a public park, to a tent of the Red Cross."
Michal Friedman said, "Liron and I arrived in New Zealand on Sunday and met Gal and Ofer after we ended a long tour of Australia. We were very excited and they shared in our excitement."
Friedman continued, "Ofer was very moved and said, 'Now we're starting on a new adventure.' We planned to travel together for one-and-a-half or two months." Of the exact moments of the earthquake, Friedman described them as "a situation in which you have no idea what is transpiring."
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/we-saw-him-die-friends-of-israeli-missing-after-new-zealand-quake-say-1.345438