Damascus, Syria - Gruesome video of the public hanging of a Mossad agent in Damascus that surfaced today prompted his widow to call on Israeli officials to find her husband’s body and bring it home so that the family can finally mourn his death properly.

The video, taken by official Syrian television, shows the final moments of Eli Cohen, reported Arutz Sheva.

Cohen became a member of Israeli intelligence in 1960, joining with a special operations unit that later became part of the Mossad. 

In his career as a spy for Israel, Cohen masqueraded as an Arab to help Egyptian Jews immigrate to Israel and also posed as a Syrian merchant, building contacts with Syrian officials and gathering intelligence data for Israel.

Cohen, the father of three small children, was captured in 1965 by Syrian intelligence officers and publicly hanged in Damascus’ Marjeh Square.  In a letter he wrote to his wife Nadia, Cohen said not to “mourn for the past but rather to look to the future.”

The video was eventually captured by Syrian rebels and turned over to Israel where it was made public today.

While Nadia Cohen had seen pictures of her husband’s killing, it was the first time she had seen the video footage, which she watched with her children.

“There were tears and nerves as we watched, how they lowered him down from the rope into the coffin, to see three cars circling around and to see the crowd in the square with celebratory music blaring,” said Mrs. Cohen. “It’s not easy.”

Mrs. Cohen said that her husband’s death still haunts the family.

“The children saw it today and obviously the sadness echoed in our souls,” said Mrs. Cohen, .who said that somewhere, there must be one “patriot” who knows where her husband is buried and that the time has come to finally lay him to rest family.

“If it’s the prime minister or if it’s the head of the Mossad, they should fight to bring Eli home,” said Mrs. Cohen. “We need a man who will bring Eli home to restore our peace. Even in death there is honesty.”