Ex-spy’s book anticipated Hamas, Iran attacks
‘My perspective tells me that Israel will not be here forever’
His writing anticipated a Hamas attack on Israeli kibbutzim (community) and an Iranian strike from the skies, but former Mossad spy-turned-thriller author Mishka Ben-David, 72, is now concerned about what lies ahead.
Published in 2017, The Shark describes a deadly conflict that starts with a Hamas raid on kibbutzim near the Gaza border and culminates in a devastating Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation.
Last weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.
The crisis is now “just a few steps” from the apocalyptic events envisioned in his book, Ben-David, the son of a Holocaust survivor, said calmly.
The dystopian opening pages of The Shark describe Hamas fighters breaking into the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel.
Seven years after the book’s publication, the kibbutz was among the hardest hit in the Palestinian group’s October-7 attack, with dozens killed.
While researching for the book, the prolific author visited Israeli kibbutzim bordering Gaza, wondering: “Where would be the best place for Hamas to attack?”
“I thought it’s not protected for a scenario like this,” he said. Ben-David, who served in Mossad for 12 years, is well placed to know that an army or intelligence agencies can fail.
“The people of Israel have lived 3,000 years already, maybe more,” said the father of three.
“But you look at the Roman Empire, you look at Genghis Khan ... they all disappear sooner or later,” he said. “My perspective tells me that Israel will not be here forever.”