Yahya Abd-al-Latif Ayyash, who was the chief bombmaker of Hamas and the leader of the West Bank battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated by the zionist occupation regime on 5 January 1996.

He is a celebrated hero to Palestinians as well as all Islamic World, who have named streets and other locales in his honor.

Ayyash was born in Rafat on 6 March 1966, the eldest of three brothers. Al Qassam's website, however, states his birth date as 3 March 1966.

As a child, he was very pious, receiving an award from the Islamic Trust for his talent in memorizing the Quran. While a boy, Ayyash showed a talent for electrical and mechanical work—repairing radios, television sets, and the like.

After graduating from high school in 1985, he entered Birzeit University in 1987. He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1991.

He became active in the ranks of Ezz Eddeen Al Qassam Brigades at the beginning of 1992, where he specialized in making explosives from raw materials available in the Palestinian territories.

He is credited with introducing the technique of Martyrdom Operations in the Palestinian War against İsraeli-Zionist terrorism.

Married, with one child, Ayyash had planned to study for a master's degree in Jordan but was denied permission to do so by İsraeli authorities.

According to those who had the honor to meet and to talk with Ayyash, he was an ordinary man who loved his family, his neighbors, and his homeland.

Everyone who knew Ayyash loved him because Ayyash was so modest and helpful to whoever wanted help. A look at Yahya’s eyes tells you that he was humble and modest. They, in fact, hide, beneath them a deep man with profound thinking.

The Engineer … the father of Martyrdom Operations

It was due to Yahya Ayyash that the heroics martyrdom attacks were used against the İsraeli aggression on armless civilian Palestinians. When the Zionist murderer Baruch Goldstein killed more than thirty Palestinians while they were praying in Al-Ibrahimy Mosque in Khalil town, Hamas vowed that the Jews will pay the price of that massacre.

A few weeks after the brutal massacre against armless Palestinian worshippers, a number of heroic attacks took place against the usurpers. And soon after that the Zionist government traced those attacks back to Ayyash who became the number one wanted man for the İsraeli gangs. Ayyash was chased for about three years in which he moved to many places before he made to Gaza where he later was assassinated.

In that capacity, he earned the nickname “the Engineer”, (Al-Muhandes in Arabic). It is important to mention that it is not the Palestinian or Hamas who called him “The Engineer”, but it was the enemy.

Ayyash who knew very much that he was being chased wherever he went did his best to train as many engineers as he could. And he did manage to train tens of Palestinians and he taught them how to make everything out of very simple materials.

Following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Palestinian Authority began to cooperate more closely with Shin Bet in hunting Ayyash. Shin Bet learned that Ayyash had, on occasion, spent the night in the Gaza City home of Osama Hamad, a childhood friend of his. Shin Bet had previously had dealings with Kamil Hamad, Osama Hamad's uncle.

In October 1995, Shin Bet operatives approached Kamil Hamad. Kamil Hamad demanded money and israeli identity cards for himself and his wives. After the Shin Bet threatened to inform Hamas of his betrayal, Kamil Hamad agreed to cooperate. Shin Bet agents gave Hamad a cell phone, and told him it was bugged so they could listen in on Ayyash's conversations. They did not tell Hamad that, in addition to eavesdropping devices, it also contained 15 grams of RDX explosive.

Kamil Hamad gave the phone to his nephew Osama, knowing that Ayyash regularly used Osama's phones. At 08:00 on 5 January 1996, Ayyash's father called him. Ayyash picked it up and talked with his father. Overhead, an israeli plane picked up their conversation and relayed it to an israeli command post. When it was confirmed that it was Ayyash on the phone, Shin Bet remotely detonated it, martyring Ayyash instantly.

Following Ayyash's death, four martyrdom operations killed seventy-eight İsraelis in February and March 1996. The first of these took place shortly after the end of the 40-day mourning period for Ayyash and the cell that claimed responsibility called itself "Disciples of the martyr Yahya 'Ayyash", stating it was a revenge attack for his assassination.

According to the Militant, an international communist newsweekly, reported that more than 100,000 Palestinians attended the funeral. (ILKHA)