Mordechai Eliyahu, a former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel and a spiritual leader of the religious Zionist movement, died in Jerusalem at the age of 81 following a long illness.

Born into a prominent rabbinic family in Jerusalem in 1929, he was appointed leader of the Sephardic Rabbinate of Israel in 1983, a post he held for 10 years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "deep sorrow" on Rabbi Eliyahu's death, hailing him as "a leading spiritual leader of religious Zionism and a loyal disciple of our people."

Since leaving the post of chief rabbi, Rabbi Eliyahu spoke out against an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, particularly Israel's 2005 evacuation of the Gaza Strip. In the 1950s, Rabbi Eliyahu served 10 months in prison for his role in a radical group that advocated the establishment of a Jewish theocracy in Israel.

He authored dozens of books on Jewish religious law and also created several associations to disseminate the message of Jewish law throughout the country, particularly targeting secular Israelis.

In April 2008 he was hospitalised for heart problems, where he remained until he died.