Israeli security forces said they have killed a senior Hamas terrorist responsible for a 2004 double suicide bombing in Be'er Sheva that left 16 people dead.
The Shin Bet security agency and the IDF said Basem al-Hashem Abd al-Fatah Haimoni was killed in a strike carried out last week in the Gaza Strip.
IDF kills Hamas terrorist behind 2004 Be'er Sheva bombing that killed 16
(Video: IDF)
Haimoni, originally from Hebron, had been involved in terrorist activity since 2004 as part of a Hamas cell that carried out deadly attacks in Israel.
In August 2004, he dispatched multiple suicide bombers who carried out coordinated attacks on two buses in Be'er Sheva, killing 16 civilians and wounding about 100 others, according to the security agencies.
Haimoni was arrested in a joint Shin Bet and IDF operation in October 2004, later convicted and sentenced to prison. In 2011, he was released as part of the Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange deal and deported to the Gaza Strip.
Since his release, security officials said, Haimoni resumed recruiting attackers and directing terrorist activity. During the current war, he was involved in manufacturing and planting explosive devices targeting IDF troops.
Security officials described the killing as an important and symbolic closing of a circle.
The IDF and Shin Bet said they will continue to act against any terrorist who seeks to plan or carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces.