Raafat – Refaat Al-Gammal
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Raafat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refaat_Al-Gammal
I forgot to include the person who pointed this out to me in my notes. Please if it was you, remind me so I can give proper credit.
Raafat the Teacher is a Krok member of the Order of the Fang. Following the defeat of the Tuts, the Order of the Fang’s interest in discovering how the various Schools of Magic can be interwoven was renewed. After the defeat of Malistaire, Raafat sent a request to the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts for aid in their research. Wizards meet Raafat in the Oasis and soon follow him to the city of Selenopolis to learn about the Magic Wheel and the art of Magic Weaving.
Refaat Ali Suleiman Al–Gammal (July 1, 1927 – January 30, 1982), better known for his code name Raafat Al–Haggan was an Egyptian intelligence officer widely recognized as one of the most renowned agents of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (EGID). Operating under the alias “Jacques Bitton” he successfully infiltrated Israeli society for 17 years. The name “Bitton” was deliberately selected by Egyptian intelligence due to its prevalence among Jews of Moroccan and North African origin, lending authenticity to his assumed identity.
According to Israeli intelligence records, Bitton was regarded as one of the most skilled Egyptian spies of his generation. Egypt’s official account asserts that Al–Gammal was deployed to Israel in a long–term operation that began in 1956 and lasted until the early 1970s. During that period, he established a successful tourism business in Tel Aviv, becoming a prominent figure in Israeli society while transmitting vital intelligence to Egypt. He provided critical intelligence, including the date of the 1967 Six–Day War and technical details regarding the Bar Lev Line, which played a crucial role in Egypt’s planning for the October 1973 War. Al–Gammal is considered a national hero in Egypt. Most information about him is still confidential.
Although celebrated in Egypt as a national hero, his story sparked controversy in Israel. Some Israeli sources claimed that he was, in fact, a double agent who also worked for Israel, an allegation strongly denied by Egyptian officials who dismissed it as disinformation. After completing his mission, Al–Gammal requested retirement and settled in West Germany, where he died in 1982. His identity remained secret until Egyptian state television aired the 1988 television drama Raafat Al–Haggan (1988), in which he was portrayed by actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz. Israeli officials dismissed the Egyptian television series Raafat Al–Haggan as entirely fictional. However, in later statements, Israel acknowledged that Jacques Bitton had indeed spied for Egypt—though it insisted that he had not caused significant harm to its national security.
The official response from Israeli intelligence to Egypt’s narrative was initially dismissive, describing it as a “highly elaborate fictional story” and suggesting that Egyptians should take pride in their ability to craft such a tale. Nevertheless, under mounting media pressure in Israel, former Mossad chief Isser Harel later admitted that: “The authorities sensed a deep penetration at the highest levels of Israeli security, but we never suspected Jacques Bitton—the Israeli alias of Al–Haggan.”
Since 1988, Israeli media outlets have attempted to uncover the true identity of Bitton/Al–Haggan. An article in The Jerusalem Post claimed that Jacques Bitton was in fact an Egyptian Jew named Refaat Al–Gammal, born in Mansoura in 1919, who arrived in Israel in 1955 and left permanently in 1973. He reportedly developed close relationships with high–ranking Israeli officials, including Prime Minister David Ben–Gurion, Prime Minister Golda Meir, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, and President Ezer Weizman. According to some reports, he was so well integrated into Israeli political circles that he considered running for the Knesset.
In subsequent years, Israeli journalists Eitan Haber and Yossi Melman co–authored a book titled The Spies: Israel’s Counterintelligence Wars, in which they confirmed that many aspects of Al–Haggan’s story as told in Egypt were factually accurate. However, they added that a crucial part was omitted: his alleged cooperation with Israeli intelligence, claiming he served both Egypt and Israel.
The current list of all the (known) Krokotopia references can be found here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references, I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Raafat image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
Refaat Al-Gammal image is borrowed from Wikipedia. It is in the Public Domain.
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
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