Israel to pay family of Australian-Israel who died in jail after allegedly working as spy

JERUSALEM – Israel is to pay the family of an Australian-Israeli who committed suicide in jail after reportedly working for the Mossad spy agency.

The Justice Ministry said that Israel will pay the family of Ben Zygier NIS 4 million (about $1.1 million).

Ben Zygier was imprisoned by Israel in 2010 and hanged himself several months later in a maximum-security cell where he was held secretly. Australian media reports claim he was a spy for Israel and was held for security offenses.

The ministry said in a statement late Tuesday night that the payment comes after negotiations in which the family claimed Israel has acted with "negligence" in dealing with the affair.

It's not clear what Zygier did to warrant jail time.