The Israel-Palestine conflict has a long history of violence and controversial tactics. One notable example is the ‘Hannibal Directive,’ which permits the use of excessive force to prevent the capture of soldiers, even at the risk of endangering hostages’ lives. Another instance of Israel’s unconventional methods is the 1978 assassination of Palestinian commander Wadie Haddad, who was killed by Mossad agents using poisoned toothpaste.
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Background
Wadie Haddad, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was involved in several major attacks, including the 1976 hijacking of an Air France plane, known as the Entebbe Hijacking. The hijackers diverted the plane, which was originally traveling from Tel Aviv to Paris, first to Libya and then to Uganda.
Israel responded with Operation Thunderbolt, a rescue mission led by Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The mission was successful, but Lt. Col. Netanyahu lost his life during the operation.
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Wadie Haddad on Mossad’s ‘Kill List’
Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, sought revenge for the Entebbe Hijacking, with Wadie Haddad, the mastermind behind the hijacking, as their top target. After gaining international notoriety, Wadie Haddad became a high-priority target on Mossad’s Kill List.
‘Agent Sadness’
To avoid a messy execution, Mossad opted for a discreet method. They assigned the mission to an operative known as ‘Agent Sadness,’ who had access to Haddad’s home and office.
Execution
On January 10, 1978, Agent Sadness swapped Haddad’s regular toothpaste with a specially formulated toxic version. The poison, created at the Israel Institute for Biological Research, was designed to penetrate Haddad’s mucous membranes and accumulate to a lethal dose over time.
Haddad’s illness
By mid-January, Wadie Haddad fell seriously ill in Baghdad, experiencing severe symptoms such as abdominal spasms, loss of appetite, and a rapid weight loss of over 25 pounds. Despite being treated by leading Iraqi doctors, his condition worsened, and he was initially diagnosed with hepatitis, followed by a severe cold. Even strong antibiotics proved ineffective, and his hair began to fall out, leading to suspicions of poisoning.
Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, sought assistance from the East German Secret Service, the Stasi. The Stasi arranged for Wadie Haddad to be airlifted to East Berlin, where he was admitted to a secret hospital under the alias ‘Ahmed Doukli’. Despite extensive testing, the doctors were unable to identify the cause of his illness, suspecting either rat poison or thallium poisoning but lacking conclusive evidence.
Wadie Haddad’s death
Wadie Haddad’s health continued to decline, marked by severe hemorrhaging and a decreasing platelet count. Despite being sedated and receiving care in the hospital for ten excruciating days, doctors were unable to save him.
He passed away on March 29, 1978.
Autopsy report
An autopsy performed by Professor Otto Prokop determined that Wadie Haddad died from brain bleeding and pneumonia resulting from panmyelopathy. However, the exact cause of the poisoning remained unknown for many years.
It wasn’t until nearly thirty years later that the truth about Haddad’s assassination emerged. Aaron J. Klein’s book “Striking Back” attributes Haddad’s death to poisoned chocolates, while Ronan Bergman’s “Rise and Kill First” provides details on the toothpaste assassination.
The motto of the Israeli military, inspired by the Babylonian Talmud, is “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill them first.”
This guiding principle has influenced their actions, including the recent targeting of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran. Since the attack on October 7, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in nearly 39,400 deaths and approximately 100,000 injuries.
