Mystery Surrounds Suicide of Officer From Elite Intel Unit

Four days after Maj. Avia Moshe took own life with a shot to the head from his personal weapon, the circumstances surrounding his suicide remain cloaked in mystery. Moshe held a key (and classified) function in Unit 8200, the elite electronic information-gathering arm of Military Intelligence, and was described by friends and family as demonstrating "extreme devotion" to his work.

His death has sent shockwaves through elite units throughout the Israel Defense Forces. Moshe, 43 and a father of two, lived in Maccabim-Reut. Friends from the community struggled yesterday to come to terms with his passing. Some said that in hindsight they had noticed a change in Moshe's behavior in recent months.

Friends and relatives also struggled with the rumor - unfounded, they maintain - that Moshe took his own life after being informed he would not be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. They said that someone, out of envy or simple malice, spread the rumor among various media outlets, and they find it hard to imagine what would motivate someone to try to besmirch the officer's memory.

Moshe served as a career non-commissioned officer for many years. Several comrades from his training course reached the rank of colonel in Military Intelligence, and Moshe's own achievements eventually convinced his commanders in Unit 8200 to send him to an officers' course.

He advanced quickly through the ranks, filling a variety of positions, all of them with distinction. His posts often exposed him to highly sensitive intelligence information.

Fellow officers are now speculating about what could have led their friend to take such a drastic, unexpected and tragic decision.

Moshe committed suicide Sunday morning in his office, just a few hours after reporting to work for another long work week. He is survived by his wife, a daughter in mandatory IDF service and a son still in high school.

Since the funeral at Mt. Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, hundreds of mourners have made their way to the family home - family and friends, many of whom had known Moshe for most of his 25 years in Military Intelligence.

Unit 8200 is responsible for signal intelligence and code deciphering. The largest unit in the IDF, its bases are spread around the country, although headquarters are at Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv.

The unit's function is similar to that of the U.S. National Security Agency. In 2004 a Knesset committee recommended turning the unit into an autonomous entity separate from the Defense Ministry, bringing it more in line with its American and British equivalents. The recommendation, however, has yet to be implemented until now.

Suicide among officers of Moshe's rank and position are exceedingly rare. Suicides have been on the rise in the IDF in recent months, but at this point, the incident appears to be an isolated case.

Military Police are still trying to decipher the motivations, both personal and professional, behind Moshe's act.

For now, his death remains an enigma, as does the fact that he chose to take his life inside his army office, where he spent so many hours deciphering complex intelligence.