Operation Saris: The Assassination Plot
In 1956, the head of Israeli intelligence, Yehoshafat Harkabi, proposed 'Operation Saris' to assassinate Colonel Mustafa Hafez and lieutenant-colonel Salah Mustafa, the Egyptian military attaché in Amman. Both were responsible for organizing guerrilla operations against Israel. A double agent, 'Suleiman Talalqa,' was chosen for the mission. The Israelis knew he worked with Mustafa Hafez and had captured and released him on the condition that he would work for them. Talalqa was used as a double channel of communication. It was not easy to assassinate Hafez with a fruit basket or food, as he would not open it. The planners of the operation devised a trick: they led Talalqa to believe that the Gaza police chief, 'Lotfi Al-Akkawi,' was working for Mossad. This was not true, as Al-Akkawi was one of the leading fighters against the occupation. They knew Talalqa would rush to inform Hafez of the news. To confirm their accusation, they said they wanted to send a package containing a book with a coded communication. To ensure Talalqa would not open the package, they bought a similar book and, after showing it to him, replaced it with a booby-trapped book prepared by an expert who had worked for the Zionist organization Etzel before the establishment of Israel. The book was ready for delivery and was given to Talalqa along with a recognition mark: half an Egyptian pound and the code phrase 'Your brother sends his regards.' According to the report of the Egyptian investigation committee, which investigated Hafez's death under the direct orders of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, on July 11, 1956, in the late evening hours, Mustafa Hafez sat on a chair in the garden of his headquarters in Gaza. He had returned from Cairo just two days earlier and was speaking with one of his men when the agent arrived. Hafez knew the agent because he had previously carried out six missions for him in Israel. The agent told Hafez what he knew about the police chief, which disturbed Hafez, especially since some suspicions had already been raised about him. Hafez decided to open the package, then close it again and send it to the police chief. As soon as he opened the envelope, a piece of paper fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and at that moment, the explosion occurred. At 5 a.m. the next day, Mustafa Hafez died from his injuries. One of his officers was permanently disabled, while the agent lost his eyesight. The police chief was arrested, but nothing incriminating was found in his house. On July 14, 1956, Salah Mustafa received a book at the Egyptian embassy in Amman, sent from the East Jerusalem post office. It exploded as he tried to open it, and he remained in the Italian hospital for a week until his death.