On 5 January, 1996, Israel assassinated the resistance mastermind, Yahya Ayyash, the very first engineer of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, after a manhunt that lasted more than 5 years.

Specialized in making explosives from the limited raw materials that were available to him under occupation, he pioneered martyrdom operations, facilitated and refined the art of bombing attacks, and developed innovative techniques to resist the occupation. He was also the leader of the West Bank battalion of Al-Qassam Brigades.

He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1991 from Birzeit University, and then entered Qassam’s ranks in 1992.

Ayyash trained as many engineers as possible while he was still alive, birthing a legacy and approach to resistance that would never be forgotten.

His ingenious resistance operations in the occupied territories were responsible for the deaths of countless Israeli settlers, which shook the enemy – consequently, he quickly became Israel’s most wanted man.

Following failure after failure by Israel, his assassination was only possible with the help of collaborators who had turned against him. The Palestinian Authority also cooperated with the Shin Bet to hunt him down.

To avenge his assassination, the resistance carried out a series of lethal operations known as the ‘Sacred Revenge' which led to the deaths of at least 46 settlers.

In 2021, Al-Qassam Brigades unveiled its rocket with the longest range yet – the ‘Ayyash’ rocket.