n the past years – and increasingly so during the Gaza War – Israel has been conducting targeted eliminations against arch-terrorists at the top of Hamas and Hezbollah. However, this is hardly a new modus operandi for Israe. 29 years ago, on January 5, 1996, Israel had staged one of its most iconic assassinations, in which it took out the arch-terrorists Yahya Abdul Latif Ayyash, a.k.a “The Engineer” or in Arabic “Al Muhandis”.
Ayyash was the chief architect at the time of the Hama’s first suicide bombings, and under his tutelage, the organization carried out dozens of deadly terror attacks that amounted in a total death count of some 100 Israeli civilians and the wounding of some 400. In the early 90s Ayyash was at the top of Israel’s most wanted list, and for a long time Israel’s security establishment tried to get its hands on him. It was only after long months of meticulous planning, and after a number of misses, that Israel was able to eliminate Ayyash in a daring operation the likes of which the country had never seen. The death of Al Muhandis became a longstanding symbol till this day – both for his followers and rivals.
The student who became an arch terrorist: Who is Yahya Ayyash?
Yahya Ayyash was born and raised in the township of Rafat, in western Samaria, and already at a young age found his way into the arms of the Muslim Brotherhood. As an adult, Ayyash enrolled in the Bir Zeit university, where he learned electric engineering. As a student he was an active member of the university’s “Muslim Bloc” of student organizations.
In the early 90s, a short while after graduating, Ayyash became one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigades (EQB) – the military wing of Hamas – then and today. Ayyash harnessed the knowledge he acquired at in engineering school to tailor improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for the organization’s terror attacks. By 1992, al Muhandis was already designing his first attacks in Israel. In 1993 he orchestrated Hamas’ debut suicide bombing at Mahula Junction in the Jordan Valley. Since that first attack and until his death, Ayyash churned out numerous deadly attacks, among them the car bomb in the northern city of Afula and the suicide bombing in the number 5 bus in Tel Aviv. He was actively involved in terror attacks, being not only the one who prepared the explosive devices – but actually attacked them to the bodies of the suicide bombers.
A long manhunt, one failed attempt, and stellar success: the road to the elimination of “The Engineer”
Israeli security forces understood pretty quickly that Yahya Ayyash is the name behind the Hamas’ deadly terror attacks, and he climbs to the top of Israel’s most wanted list. Over a long period of time, many attempts were made to capture him, however, Ayyash would never stay in one place for long and would even disguise himself, thus escaping Israel’s clutches time and time again.
Until 1994, the pursuit of Ayyash took place chiefly in the Palestinian cities of Judia and Samaria, but at that time he moved to the Gaza Strip and the security forces continued with the attempts to track him down there as well, and even made an attempt on his life at the end of 1995. Israel’s security forces worked for months to put together the operation. The governing principle was not to harm innocents in the surrounding area. At first, the plan was to kill Ayyash by rigging a fax machine. Eventually it was decided to use a much smaller device – a mobile phone.
The General Security Service technology unit packed 11 grams of explosive material into a Motorola mobile device. The minute quantity of explosives meant that the success of the operation hinged on Ayyash holding the phone to his head long enough. To ensure this, the security forces had to devise a way to ensure Ayyash received – and used – the device. This was a real challenge as Ayyash would never stay in one place for long and would frequently change mobile phones.
Despite his unpredictable pattern of behavior, Ayyash had one constant – a phone call he would make religiously to his father every Friday. It was obvious to the security forces that his is the opportune moment in which the assassination would take place. In 1995, on the last Friday of the year, the rigged device was delivered to Ayyash though a collaborator within his inner circle. The collaborator, not knowing the purpose of the device, was also instructed to disconnect the landline phone in the apartment where Ayyash was staying, thus ensuring that Ayyash would use the deadly device.
Until that point, the operation was on track, with Ayyash receiving and using the mobile device to phone his father, however, the attempt to trigger the bombe failed, thus Ayyash was able to complete the phone call without harm, oblivious to the threat.
The device was recalled from Ayyash through the collaborator the very next day and sent to a lab to determine the cause of the malfunction, which was found to be a disconnected wire between the ear and mouth pieces. The detonation mechanism was swiftly repaired and on the following Friday, January 5, 1996, the collaborator returned the device returned to Ayyash.
As per planned, the collaborated handed Ayyash the phone to make his weekly call to his father. This time the detonator did not fail and Ayyash was killed on the spot.
The elimination of Ayyash was without doubt a stellar success, but those in the thick of the affair know to tell that immediately after Ayyash was killed, many high-level commanders from the Hamas arrived on the scene, among them head of the organization’s military wing – Muhammed Deif, and could have been eliminated on the spot. However, the government cabinet did not give the green light and that opportunity was missed.
From revenge terror attacks to memorials: the aftermath of the assassination
The elimination of “al Muhandis” was a major affair – for Israel, that wanted him off the map, and for his followers that mourned his death. For Israel this was a milestone operational achievement, as not only had one of the leaders of the deadly terrorist organization been taken out of its roster, but it also denied the organization a huge trove of technical knowledge. Granted, Ayyash was able to train additional Hamas terrorist in the preparation of IEDs, but none had the knowledge and experience he had.
Another crucial outcome of the assassination was the message it conveyed to other Hamas leaders and other terror organizations that they are well within the reach of Israel.
Yahya Ayyash was buried in Gaza in a mass funeral, and retaliations did not wait for long. Later that year, a number of retaliatory attacks occurred in Israel, including the attack on bus No. 18 in Jerusalem and the attack at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv, killing a total of 59 people. Beyond this severe reaction, Ayyash had become an icon for Hamas supporters. Armed cells of the organization began to boast nicknames such as “The Engineer’s Students” or “The Yahya Ayyash Cells,” and various sites and locales throughout the Gaza Strip were dedicated to him. The Ayyash memorial project continued for many more years – in 2010 it was decided to name the Palestinian Authority compound in Ramallah after the engineer, and about a decade later, Hamas produced a long-range rocket that was given the name “Ayyash 250.” This rocket was used in Operation Guardian of the Walls, and also during the Gaza War.
The Hamas rocket was not the only reminder of Yahya Ayyash of the Gaza War. In December 2023, Abd al-Fattah Ma’ali, once considered Ayyash’s right-hand man, was assassinated. Another reminder also came in September 2024 with the pager attack against Hezbollah operatives, which was somewhat reminiscent of the method in which the notorious engineer was killed, as the widespread use of pagers by the Hezbollah that allowed for the targeting of so many terrorists, was prompted by the attack on Ayyash by mobile phone after which Hezbollah instructed its members to opt for beepers instead of the mobile devices.
The story of the assassination of Yahya Ayyash is testament to the capabilities and perseverance of Israel’s security forces. But more than all, it shows that targeted eliminations are much more than operations against one individual or another – they bring a message that echoes decades later to those who choose to follow in the target’s path.
