Yahya Ayyash
Yahya Ayyash (يحيى عياش;
March 6,
1966 -
January 5,
1996) was a member and chief bombmaker of the
Hamas organization. He is credited with advancing the technique of
suicide bombing in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [
1]
He received a degree in
electrical engineering from
Bir Zeit University in
1988.
Ayyash became one of the chief bomb-makers for Hamas. In that capacity, he earned the nickname
the Engineer (المهندس, transliterated
Al-Muhandis). The bombings he orchestrated caused the deaths of more than 70 Israelis, many of them civilians. The bombings were carried out despite the signing of the
Oslo Accords, which
Hamas opposed.
Ayyash was assassinated, allegedly by the
Israeli security forces in 1996, following a massive manhunt. A relative of one of Ayyash's fellow Hamas militants passed him a
cell phone. It exploded when Ayyash was using it, killing him instantly. Reportedly, 100,000 people attended his funeral. [
2]
Israel did not confirm or deny its role in killing Ayyash. This led to wild rumors and speculations as to the extent of their involvement. Three days after the assassination, the head of the
Shin Bet at the time,
Carmi Gillon resigned his post (because of Shin Bet failure to prevent
Itzhak Rabin's
assassination). Despite his killing, Hamas terrorist attacks continued. These attacks began on
February 25, 1996, with dual early morning suicide bombings of an Israeli
bus and troops on the roadside, killing 26 people. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Other attacks included the suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem on
March 3,
1996, killing 19 people, and
March 4 bombing of
Dizengoff Center, Tel Aviv's largest shopping mall, which killed 13. Hamas and the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the bombing outside the mall.
* ISBN 1585747491
The Hunt for the Engineer by Samuel Katz
*
A senior Palestinian terrorist as role model and admired figure at Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S), Israel
