Yahya Ayyash (يحيى عياش; March 6, 1966 - January 5, 1996) was a member and chief bombmaker of the Hamas organization. He is credited with advancing the technique of suicide bombing in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He received a degree in electrical engineering from Bir Zeit University in 1988.
Ayyash became one of the chief bomb-makers for Hamas. In that capacity, he earned the nickname the Engineer (Arabic: ‎المهندس, transliterated Al-Muhandis). The bombings he orchestrated caused the deaths of more than 70 Israelis, many of them civilians. The bombings were carried out despite the signing of the Oslo Accords, which Hamas opposed.
Ayyash was assassinated, allegedly by the Israeli security forces in 1996, following a massive manhunt. A relative of one of Ayyash's fellow Hamas militants passed him a cell phone. It exploded when Ayyash was using it, killing him instantly. Reportedly, 100,000 people attended his funeral.
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