Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, wanted revenge for Entebbe’s kidnapping.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has been marked by a long history of violence and controversial tactics. One of them was the “Hannibal Directive”, which allows the use of excessive force to prevent the capture of soldiers, even if this puts the lives of the hostages at risk. Another example of Israel’s unorthodox methods is the 1978 assassination of Palestinian commander Wadie Haddad, who was killed by Mossad agents using poisoned toothpaste.
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Wadie Haddad, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was involved in several high-profile attacks, including the hijacking of an Air France plane in 1976, known as the Entebbe Hijacking. The hijackers took the plane from Tel Aviv to Paris, but diverted it to Libya and then Uganda.
Israel responded with Operation Thunderbolt, a rescue mission led by Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The mission was successful, but Lieutenant Colonel Netanyahu died in the process.
Wadie Haddad on Mossad ‘kill list’
Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, wanted revenge for Entebbe’s kidnapping. Wadie Haddad, the mastermind of the kidnapping, was the main target. After gaining international recognition, Wadie Haddad became a priority on the Mossad’s Kill List.
‘Agent Sadness’
To avoid a messy execution, the Mossad chose a silent method. They assigned the mission to an agent known as ‘Agent Sadness’, who had access to Haddad’s home and office.
The execution
On January 10, 1978, Agent Sadness replaced Haddad’s normal toothpaste with a specially prepared toxic version. The toxin, developed at the Israel Institute for Biological Research, would penetrate Haddad’s mucous membranes and gradually reach a fatal dose.
Wadie Haddad’s illness
In mid-January, Wadie Haddad fell seriously ill in Baghdad. Her symptoms were severe, consisting of abdominal spasms, loss of appetite and rapid weight loss of more than 25 pounds. Despite treatment from the best Iraqi doctors, her condition continued to deteriorate and she was diagnosed with hepatitis, followed by a severe cold. Even powerful antibiotics had no effect. Her hair began to fall out, raising suspicions of poisoning.
Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, sought help from the East German Secret Service, the Stasi.
The Stasi flew Wadie Haddad to East Berlin and admitted him to a secret hospital under the alias “Ahmed Doukli”. Doctors tested him extensively but were unable to determine the cause of his illness. They suspected rat poison or thallium poisoning, without conclusive evidence.
Wadie Haddad’s death
Wadie Haddad’s condition continued to worsen, with severe bleeding and a drop in his platelet count. Doctors sedated him and kept him in the hospital for ten agonizing days, but they were unable to save him.
He died on March 29, 1978.
Autopsy report
An autopsy conducted by Professor Otto Prokop concluded that Wadie Haddad died of a cerebral hemorrhage and pneumonia caused by panmyelopathy. However, the precise cause of the poisoning remained unclear for years.
It took nearly three decades for the truth about Haddad’s murder to be revealed. “Striking Back” by Aaron J Klein attributes Wadie Haddad’s death to poisoned chocolates, while “Rise and Kill First” by Ronan Bergman details the toothpaste murder.
The motto of the Israeli military, inspired by the Babylonian Talmud, is “If someone comes to kill you, get up and kill him first.”
This guiding principle has guided its actions, including the recent attack on Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran. Since the October 7 attack, Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed some 39,400 people and injured nearly 1 lakh.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
