In January 1978, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad executed a covert operation to assassinate Wadie Haddad, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Haddad, a notorious figure in Palestinian militancy, had orchestrated numerous high-profile attacks, including the infamous 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight that culminated in the Entebbe rescue mission.
Haddad’s involvement in the Entebbe hijacking, where Israeli commandos successfully rescued hostages from Uganda, made him a prime target for Mossad. Determined to eliminate him discreetly, Mossad deployed an agent known as “Agent Sadness” who had access to Haddad’s personal belongings. On January 10, 1978, the agent replaced Haddad’s toothpaste with a toxic version, crafted to slowly poison him through daily use.
Soon after using the poisoned toothpaste, Haddad began suffering from severe abdominal pain and rapid weight loss. His condition worsened, and he was hospitalized in Baghdad. Despite receiving treatment from top Iraqi doctors, his symptoms persisted, leading to suspicions of poisoning. Haddad’s health continued to decline, prompting his transfer to East Berlin by the East German Stasi under a false identity.
In East Berlin, doctors struggled to diagnose the cause of Haddad’s illness, suspecting poisoning but unable to identify the exact toxin. Haddad experienced severe hemorrhaging, hair loss, and a drastic drop in platelet count. Despite their efforts, doctors could not save him, and he died on March 29, 1978.
An autopsy suggested that Haddad died from brain bleeding and pneumonia induced by a systemic failure of his bone marrow. However, the true cause of his death remained a mystery for years. It was only decades later that investigative reports, including Ronen Bergman’s book “Rise and Kill First,” revealed the details of Mossad’s assassination method using poisoned toothpaste.
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