“Why Palestinians Fight” Ghassan Kanafani: Voice of Resistance, Silenced by Mossad

Ghassan Fayiz Kanafani (غسان فايز كنفاني‎; 8 April 1936 – 8 July 1972) was a towering figure in Palestinian literature and politics—an author, journalist, and revolutionary whose words gave voice to the dispossessed.

Widely regarded as one of the Arab world’s most influential Palestinian writers, Kanafani’s novels and short stories captured the pain, resilience, and defiance of a people under occupation.

On 8 July 1972, he was assassinated in Beirut by Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in a car bomb attack that also killed his 17-year-old niece.

His murder was a calculated attempt to silence a powerful voice of Palestinian resistance—yet his legacy continues to inspire generations in the struggle for justice and liberation.