Seven years ago, former Mossad agent Mishka Ben David published a novel in which he spoke about an attack by the Palestinian Hamas movement on Israeli kibbutzim that mirrored the events of October 7, and about an escalation that culminated in a violent Israeli response to Iran... but today he does not take pride in that; rather, he feels anxiety regarding the continuation of events. This spy turned thriller novelist considers the 12 years he spent in Israeli intelligence a boundless source of inspiration, with every story connected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on October 7, one of his bestselling books has taken on prophetic dimensions. The book "The Shark," published seven years ago, narrates a bloody escalation that begins with an attack by Hamas fighters on kibbutzim and peaks with a strong retaliatory response from Israel to Iran. The 72-year-old former agent said during an interview with AFP at his home overlooking the countryside surrounding Jerusalem, with the distant Gaza Strip in view, "We are just a few steps away" from that scenario.
Tehran launched hundreds of rockets and drones toward Israel last weekend, and all indicators suggest that Israel is preparing to respond to this unprecedented attack.
One corner of Mishka Ben David's home in Ramat Raziel bears the mark of a shrapnel fragment, clearly the result of "a shell that was fired from Gaza and exploded nearby." The rocket fell in his neighborhood during the summer 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Ben David stated that none of "the wars ended with a decisive attack or a peace agreement, so it was clear that the confrontation would resume."
In 2017, "The Shark" was released, detailing how armed Hamas fighters entered Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the most severely affected kibbutzim on October 7. This scenario was imagined by Ben David, who has written more than 20 works, many of which have been translated abroad, while doing reconnaissance in these agricultural communities located in southern Israel on the border with Gaza. He said, "That’s where I wondered what would be the best place to attack if I were in Hamas' position (...) these kibbutzim were protected for daily life, against a specific attack in a specific place, but they were not protected from a full invasion."
Mishka Ben David was certainly qualified to know whether failure awaited the army or intelligence agencies.
Attempted Assassination of Khaled Mashal
In September 1997, he was involved in the botched assassination attempt of then-Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashal, who was then residing in the Jordanian capital, Amman. A series of setbacks led to the well-prepared plan going awry, and Mishka found himself unexpectedly tasked with saving the very man targeted by Israeli agencies.
Benjamin Netanyahu was then in his first term as prime minister. In July, a suicide bombing in a central market in Jerusalem, claimed by Hamas, resulted in the deaths of 16 people and injuries to over 160 others.
Ben David recounted, "We proposed several ways to kill Mashal: rigging his car, sniping him, or assassinating him from close range, but Netanyahu said he wanted a way to kill him silently, without leaving any trace."
Ultimately, the agents decided to use poison to kill Mashal. Mishka Ben David, then head of the intelligence division in the Mossad's operational unit, said that two agents "managed to spray the substance" on him, but unforeseen events led to "their arrest."
He added, "I was carrying the antidote in case one of the agents got poisoned" during the operation, but Mashal ultimately benefited from it, as he negotiated with Jordan for the release of the Israeli agents in exchange for saving Mashal.
Ben David remarked, "Every leader of Hamas who is killed has a deputy to take his place," at a time when Israel is pursuing the movement's political bureau chief in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, who is considered the mastermind behind the October 7 attack.
Mishka Ben David left the Mossad in 1999 after his identity was revealed following the attempted assassination of Mashal. He stated that his parents survived the Holocaust, "The people of Israel have existed for more than three thousand years; that's great, but no country is eternal."
