I know she’s simply a character from a tv show, but DAMN!  First and foremost, she’s Jewish, she kicks ass, and she is hot as hell!

Her backstory/what we know:

• Ziva’s father is Deputy Director David of Mossad. Ziva is also known to have been the control officer for Ari Haswari who killed Kate. Ari was Ziva’s half-brother. Ziva was also an assassin for Mossad in Israel. Ari’s story that her father set up the bombing of Ari’s mother in Gaza, thus ensuring Ari’s abiding hatred, disturbs Ziva so much that she cannot stay around her father or Mossad. Jenny has arranged a secondment of her to NCIS for an indefinite period. As far as Mossad is concerned, Gibbs killed Ari and, for Ziva to stay safe, the secret that Ziva actually pulled the trigger must stay secret.
• She did 6 months in England prior to working in America: it is her excuse for driving on the left instead of the right, when driving the van back to NCIS HQ in Silver War.
• She worked in Cairo, Egypt with Jenny, saving Jenny’s life (as Jenny tells Gibbs in Kill Ari 2).
• She is excellent at collecting “intel” (intelligence data) that leads to successful ‘eliminations of target’. She does not expect to grow old in her job: she points out to Gibbs in Kill Ari that, although to Gibbs she is young to be Ari’s handler, the older agents are usually dead.
• Her family all work for Mossad but it is not compulsory. Ziva’s motivation was from the death of her sister in a bombing: “she was 16 years old and the best of us“. (EDIT: Ziva also says she was Mossad “long before Tali’s death” indicating that wasn’t the reason she joined.)