How I Helped Save Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s Life

Mosab Hassan Yousef Khalil was born into one of the most influential Hamas families. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef Khalil, was one of Hamas’s founders, and from a young age, Mosab was raised with strong anti-Israel beliefs. He participated in demonstrations and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers believing that was his purpose.

People around him assumed he would grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps. But something deep within him pushed him in another direction. That courage he was raised with eventually led him down a very different path.

In 1996, at age 18, Mosab was arrested in Israel on suspicion of possessing weapons. He was tried and spent almost two years in prison. While in jail, he was approached by the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, and offered a chance to become a collaborator. At first, he refused.

After his release, Mosab began to study religion more deeply. As he compared different teachings, he started to feel the heavy presence of hatred and violence within the Quran and Islamic teachings. He began to see how Hamas used innocent people and even children to further its political goals. Slowly, his heart turned.

Eventually, for moral and ideological reasons, he made the courageous decision to work with the Shin Bet. For nearly ten years, Mosab served as one of the most valuable secret agents in Israeli history. His code name was “The Green Prince”, “prince” because of his position as the son of a senior Hamas leader, and “green” for the color of the Hamas flag.

He attended his father's secret meetings with major figures like Yasser Arafat and Marwan Barghouti. Every detail he heard was passed to Israeli intelligence, helping them capture terrorists and dismantle terror cells including his own father’s group. Many lives were saved through his work.

One of the most dramatic incidents he helped prevent involved none other than Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, one of the greatest Torah sages of our time. Mosab shared the story years later in an interview: “As far as I remember, I didn’t know the target was Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. I helped track five suicide bombers, and one of them was heading to an event where the Rabbi would be present. I found out later that he was the intended target. Thank God, we stopped him in time.”

Mosab emphasized that the success wasn’t his alone, it was the work of many people. Still, he considers it a great honor to have played a part in saving lives.

About seven years ago, Mosab left Islam entirely. Four years ago, he moved to the United States and ended his work with the Shin Bet. In a recent appearance on the Israeli program Friday Night Aktuality, he opened up about his journey and his view of the future.

From his perspective, he believes Islam will collapse from within. “For 1,400 years, Islam protected itself with walls of isolation,” he said. “But today, with the internet and social media, people have access to real information. It's just a matter of time until Muslims themselves begin to challenge it. Whether it’s next year or in ten years, the change will come from within.”

When asked about Jewish groups that meet with Israel’s enemies, such as the well-known visit between Ahmadinejad and a group of Jews, Mosab expressed concern. “Meeting with people who don’t seek peace or justice doesn’t bring anything good. I hope those Jews understand that these leaders don’t have sincere intentions.”

Today, Mosab reflects on his journey with a sense of clarity. He left behind a life built on hate and violence and chose instead to protect life and pursue truth. He lives now in freedom, still carrying the weight of what he witnessed and the lives he helped save, including that of a great Torah giant.