Powerful Missile Strikes
In the middle of the Saif al-Quds battle between Gaza and the Israeli occupation forces, something extraordinary happened. The Al-Qassam Brigades launched a guided missile that had never been seen before. It hit the town of "Ilot," near the Israeli Ramon Airport. This missile was named "Ayyash 250" after the martyr engineer Yahya Ayyash, who was assassinated by Israeli intelligence in 1996. It had the highest destructive power among all the resistance missiles. This attack was in retaliation for the assassination of Al-Qassam leaders and engineers by the occupation.
The Man Behind the Missile
Yahya Ayyash, also known as Abu Al-Baraa, was an engineering graduate and an electrician at Birzeit University. He was the mastermind behind the most important bombings in the Al-Qassam Brigades during the 1990s. He was the number one target of the occupying state until he became a martyr. Ayyash revolutionized the Palestinian resistance with his strategies of car bombs and martyrdom explosions, which the occupation had never experienced before.
From the Countryside to the City
Yahya Ayyash was born on March 6, 1966, in the village of Rafat in Nablus. He grew up in a simple country house with religious parents who instilled in him strong values from a young age. Ayyash showed signs of intelligence and scientific genius from his early school days. He excelled in his studies and obtained outstanding grades in physics and mathematics.
Despite his qualifications to join prestigious universities, Ayyash chose to attend Birzeit University to stay close to his parents and save money. It was at Birzeit University that he met students from the "Islamic Bloc," the student wing of the Hamas movement. Ayyash became involved with them and participated in political events and protests against the occupation. He gained a notable position within the Islamic movement and became known as the sheikh of the Brotherhood in his village.
From Stones to Bombs
During the first intifada, Ayyash's involvement with the Hamas movement deepened. He resisted through individual operations that remained mysterious to others. After graduating in 1992, he joined the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. Ayyash's passion for science and his knowledge of the university library led him to research the gunpowder industry. He found a way to overcome the resistance's military limitations by preparing gunpowder from its primary components.
Ayyash presented his idea to the leaders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and it received approval and encouragement. He became known for his expertise in explosives and played a crucial role in strengthening the resistance against the occupation.
The Miraculous Mixture
Yahya Ayyash, an exceptional engineer, used simple raw materials to create his miraculous mixture. He also developed electrical circuits to make explosives. His unique scientific and mental abilities impressed everyone who saw his work. People were so amazed that they even shouted "Allahu Akbar" and hugged each other, feeling like they owned the entire world.
A New Kind of Resistance
The Al-Qassami manufacturing team started making the resistance tools that Ayyash had invented. During the Intifada, the resistance with stones transformed into a different kind of resistance. These resistance operations had a huge impact on destabilizing the morale of the occupation.
The Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre
On February 25, 1994, a terrible massacre happened at the Ibrahimi Mosque. A Zionist doctor named Baruch Goldstein attacked the mosque and killed 29 worshipers, injuring 15 others. The worshipers managed to fight back and killed the attacker. However, the Zionist security forces responded with extreme violence and terrorism, causing more casualties.
Seeking Revenge
Yahya Ayyash was determined to avenge his family for the mosque massacre. On April 6 of the same year, Resistant Raed Zakarneh carried out a car bomb attack in Afula, killing eight settlers. This was followed by more operations, such as the Hadera operation, which killed 7 Israelis, and the Tel Aviv operation, which killed 22 Israelis. These operations caused a lot of damage and created a public uproar, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister of Israel.
The Most Wanted
Yahya Ayyash and his team financed these operations from their own pockets. Ayyash even had to sell his wife's gold to fund the armed struggle. As his fame grew, the Israeli intelligence and government made him their top priority to eliminate.
A Game of Hide and Seek
To escape the intense persecution, Ayyash moved from the West Bank to Gaza. His journey was full of hiding and moving from place to place. Despite the difficulties, the resistance operations continued without stopping.
The Final Call
Israeli intelligence became aware of Ayyash's presence in Gaza and tried to assassinate him from a distance. A friend's uncle, Kamal, who had connections with Palestinian intelligence, helped Israeli intelligence by giving Ayyash a cell phone packed with explosives. On January 5, 1996, during a phone call with his father, the phone exploded, ending Ayyash's life.
A Lasting Legacy
Yahya Ayyash's impact on the Palestinians and the resistance was profound. Tens of thousands of Palestinians attended his funeral, and a strike spread throughout the cities. His image was plastered on walls, and people expressed their outrage through marches and demonstrations. Ayyash's relics are still in the hands of the resistance today, being developed and used to destroy the enemy's fortresses. The engineer's revolution turned stones into powerful weapons in the hands of the Palestinian people.
