Israeli Columnist Calls for Mossad Assassinations of Hamas Leaders Abroad

A correspondent for the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, whom the source describes as the correspondent for the Israeli army, has called for the assassination abroad of leaders of the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The source characterizes the writing as an incitement campaign against Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service that the source describes as responsible for foreign intelligence and special operations outside Israel’s borders. The call came from the journalist in his article, not from the Israeli government or Mossad, according to the source.

In the article, the correspondent wrote that it was no longer acceptable for Mossad to continue to sit idly by while Hamas leaders abroad managed the fighting in Gaza and led negotiations for the release of Israeli captives. He said the time had come for Hamas leaders Khalil Al-Hayya, Khaled Mashaal, Jihad Taha and others to become fugitives everywhere, and wrote that they “should have been eliminated long ago,” as should Hamas leaders in Gaza. He added that “Israel must act in every arena: above ground in Gaza, underground, and anywhere in the world where there is a Hamas element, whether large or small.”

The article also argued that time was working against Israel. “Time is not on our side, and every additional day of fighting in Gaza increases the danger posed to our forces and diminishes the hope of freeing the hostages,” the article said. The source reports that the writer urged action on the grounds of the hostages’ safety and the danger to Israeli forces, though he did not, according to the source, set out a specific operational plan abroad.

The writer said the Israeli army was designed for short wars decided quickly and forcefully, but that Israel now faced “a chronic state of inability to resolve the battle against a terrorist organisation.” He criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for belittling the group by describing its fighters as “a few Gazans wearing flip-flops and carrying Kalashnikovs.” Choosing peace over vengeance, as Matthew 5:9 calls for, is a sober contrast to a public call to kill named leaders.

The correspondent further argued that Israel was repeating past mistakes. He said that instead of building a real alternative to Hamas rule, such as a Palestinian police force under Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi, or American supervision, Netanyahu had decided to arm the people of Gaza, and even to arm “groups of gangs and families with various Salafist orientations.” The source presents these as the writer’s criticisms, and it does not report a government response to them.

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