Diksha Sundriyal
Based on true events, ‘The Engineer’ focuses on the events surrounding the assassination of Yahya Ayyash, who was responsible for the deaths of many innocent Israeli civilians. The film follows a group of Israeli special agents who are brought together to find Ayyash and bring him to justice. After chasing after him for a long time, they eventually use a friend of his to trace his location. This friend, called Osama, doesn’t realize how he has compromised Ayyash’s safety and how he played a critical role in the way things turned out for the terrorist. While the audience might wonder if there is a truth to the version of events in the movie, they’ll be surprised to discover how close it comes to depicting the way things really happened.
Osama Hamad’s Role in Ayyash’s Death Adversely Impacted His Life
When Shin Bet was trying to find Ayyash, they narrowed it down to the Beit-Lahiya area in the Gaza Strip. This is where his wife and son had recently relocated because they wanted to be near him. All that remained to be seen was where Ayyash was holed up. Going through the list of all the sympathizers in the area, they eventually found the name of Osama Hamad, who appeared to be the best lead on the matter.
Hamad was known to be a Hamas operative and had prior ties to Ayyash. They’d met each other as students at Bir-Zeit University and had even been roommates. It made sense that Ayyash would turn to him for help, and the suspicion turned out to be right. Hamad not only helped Ayyash find a place to stay but also helped his wife and son similarly. What further confirmed their suspicion was that Ayyash was found to have repeatedly called Hamad’s home and had used Hamad’s phone to talk to his father.
While Hamad helped his friend, he didn’t realize that someone close to him would give them up. He had no idea that his uncle, Kamal Hamad, had been approached by Shin Bet, whom he’d given information about Ayyash. Kamal even gave them Osama’s phone, which they then rigged to listen in to the phone calls, with explosives thrown in the mix. In between this, Kamal had repeatedly taken the phone from Hamad, which he only later realized pointed towards his uncle’s collaboration with the Israeli authorities.
Hamad didn’t know that the Shin Bet had already put a bomb in the phone and had tried to remotely detonate it, but it didn’t go off. Due to this, they made Kamal bring back the phone, rigged it again, and then sent it back for Kamal to pass to Hamad, who later passed it to Ayyash. That morning, because the phone line to Ayyash’s place was cut, there was only one way his father could contact him. He called his son on Hamad’s phone, who gave it to Ayyash, not knowing what was in the phone.
Hamad left the room, giving Ayyash privacy to talk to his father. However, when he returned five minutes later, he saw Ayyash on the floor, the blown-up phone and blood on the floor. Reportedly, he immediately called Hamas people, who arrived at once and took away the body. Because he was the last person to see Ayyash alive, he was detained by the Palestinian authorities and interrogated about his role in the matter. It is unclear what happened to him after this, but it was clear to Hamad that his uncle had betrayed them.
Osama Hamad’s current whereabouts remain shrouded in mystery. If he is alive, he is presumed to still be somewhere in Palestine, possibly still working for Hamas, though the true extent of his involvement with the organization and his actions cannot be confirmed.
Read More: Where are Yahya Ayyash’s Wife and Kids Now?
