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Yahya Ayyash (March 6, 1966 - January 5, 1996) was a member and chief bombmaker of the Hamas militant organization. He is credited with introducing the technique of suicide bombing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He received a degree in electrical engineering from Beir Zeit University in 1988.
Ayyash became one of the chief bomb-makers for Hamas. In that capacity, he earned the nickname the Engineer ("Al-Muhandis" in Arabic). The bombings he orchestrated caused the deaths of more than 70 Israelis, many of them civilians. These bombings began after the murder of 29 Palestinian civilians by Baruch Goldstein on February 25, 1994. The bombings were carried out despite the signing of the Oslo Accords, which Hamas opposed.
He was assassinated by the Israeli Shin Bet in 1996 following a massive manhunt. They were able to compromise the uncle of one of Ayyash's fellow Hamas militants, who gave him a cell phone full of explosives. When they confirmed Ayyash was using it, the Shin Bet detonated it, killing him instantly. Supposedly, the last call he got on the cell phone before it exploded was from the head of Shin Bet, who called to tell him "goodbye".
Aftermath
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). In retaliation Hamas launched a series of suicide bombings. These attacks began on February 26, 1996, with dual early morning suicide bombings of an Israeli bus and troops on the roadside. Other revenge attacks included the suicide bombing of an Israeli bus on March 3, 1996, and the March 4th bombing of Dizengoff Center.
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