The Assassination of Yahya Ayyash

Yahya Ayyash, also known as "The Engineer", was a Palestinian terrorist, one of the Hamas' leaders, and one of Israel's worst enemies. He is solely responsible for the death of over one hundred Israelis, which is why the Shabak decided it was his time to go.

Ayyash was born in a village in Sumarea in 1966. After finishing his electrical engineering degree at the University of Bir Zeit, Ayyash wanted to continue his studies in Jordan, but his request to leave the country was denied by Israeli authorities. That is when he started forming the plans to attack Israeli targets, and in the early 1990s, he established the military branch of the Hamas. He specialized in making explosive devices, he probably paid attention in his engineering classes, and quickly started executing the first suicide bombings in Israel.

After a suicide car failed in its mission and was apprehended by Israeli forces, the Shabak understood that Ayyash was the man behind the deadly attacks. He quickly became number one on the Shabak's most wanted list, but he kept on evading them. In 1996, Prime Minister Shimon Peres gave the authorization for his assassination.

Although Israel never took official responsibility for his death, it is a pretty well-known fact. It is believed that the Shabak send a booby-trapped cellphone with one of their inside informants to Ayyash's hideout in Gaza. While on the phone with his father, the Shabak recognized his voice and detonated the explosives inside of the phone. Ayyash was killed on the spot.

After his death, Hamas executed many deadly suicide bombings in his "honor", killing and injuring many Israelis, but all in all, his death most likely saved more lives.