Mossad’s High-Profile Operation: The 'Agent Sadness' and Poisoned Toothpaste

In a notable instance of covert operations, Mossad agent 'Agent Sadness' was tasked with the assassination of Wadie Haddad, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The operation, executed in 1978, involved an unusual and sophisticated method: poisoned toothpaste.

Wadie Haddad, a key figure in the Palestinian militant organization, was infamous for orchestrating the 1976 hijacking of an Air France plane, which was diverted from Tel Aviv to Paris and then to Libya and Uganda. Israel's response to this high-profile incident was Operation Thunderbolt, a daring rescue mission that succeeded in freeing the hostages but resulted in the death of Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of Israel’s current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following the Entebbe Hijacking, Mossad placed Haddad at the top of its assassination list. To eliminate him, Mossad deployed 'Agent Sadness', who meticulously replaced Haddad’s regular toothpaste with a toxic variant. This poison, developed at the Israel Institute for Biological Research, was designed to be absorbed through Haddad’s mucous membranes, delivering a gradual and fatal dose.

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By mid-January 1978, Haddad fell gravely ill in Baghdad. His symptoms—severe abdominal spasms, significant weight loss, and loss of appetite—initially led to misdiagnoses including hepatitis and a severe cold. Despite treatment from leading Iraqi doctors, his condition continued to worsen. His deteriorating health, characterized by hair loss and intense suffering, led to suspicions of poisoning.

In a bid to uncover the cause, Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), sought help from the East German Secret Service, the Stasi. Haddad was airlifted to East Berlin and admitted to a secret hospital under the alias 'Ahmed Doukli'. Extensive tests were conducted, but the exact cause of his illness remained elusive, with only suspicions of rat poison or thallium being considered.

Wadie Haddad’s condition continued to decline, marked by severe hemorrhaging and a dropping platelet count. Despite ten days of intensive care, he died on March 29, 1978. An autopsy by Professor Otto Prokop revealed brain bleeding and pneumonia caused by panmyelopathy, but the precise nature of the poisoning was not confirmed for years. It wasn’t until nearly three decades later that the true details emerged, with Aaron J. Klein’s book "Striking Back" attributing the death to poisoned chocolates and Ronan Bergman’s "Rise and Kill First" detailing the toothpaste method.

This operation is a reflection of Israel's broader counterterrorism strategy, which often involves unconventional and controversial methods. The Israeli military’s guiding principle, derived from the Babylonian Talmud, is: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill them first." This principle has guided numerous operations, including recent actions against Hamas leaders in Iran. Since the attack on October 7, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has led to significant casualties, highlighting the persistent and intense nature of the ongoing conflict.