2004 assassination of Hamas co-founder
 
On 22 March 2004, the Palestinian leader and one of the founders of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, 67, was assassinated in Gaza City. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin - who used a wheelchair due to being quadriplegic since his adolescence - was returning from performing the Fajr prayer, and his companions were also killed immediately. His assassination caused a state of anger and Palestinian factions vowed revenge, with Hamas saying that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "opened the gates of hell." Shortly after the attack, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi took over the leadership of the movement in the Gaza Strip.
Yassin survived an attempt on his life on 6 September 2003. According to Israeli radio, Sharon personally supervised the attack on Yassin.
Attack.
IDF helicopters launched multiple missiles with the specific aim of targeting Sheikh Yassin as he was coming back from morning prayers at the mosque near his residence in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza. The assassination also killed nine Palestinian bystanders and caused injuries to 15 individuals, among them being two sons of Sheikh Yassin. The assassination occurred approximately one week following the 2004 Ashdod Port bombings.
Reactions.
Palestine.
 Hamas 
 Palestinian National Authority 
Israel.
 Israel 
International.
International media.
"Financial Times" called the assassination "extremely stupid," and even "The Daily Telegraph", which is normally pro-Israel, called it a "serious mistake." "The Guardian" reported that many Palestinians saw the killing as "cowardly" (given that Yassin was a disabled man) and were outraged that Yassin's killing might motivate more Palestinians to attack Israel.
Legacy.
After Yassin, Hamas was led by Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, who was killed in a similar way to Yassin two weeks later. The Al-Rantisi Hospital Children's Hospital is named after him. The movement was then led by Khaled Mashal until 2017. Yassin had firmly aligned with Saudi Arabia even though the Saudis were not able to provide Hamas with sophisticated weaponry. However, Mashal was more flexible and ambitious. He moved Hamas closer to Iran which, in contrast to the Saudis, provided Hamas with rocket designs. By the time Mashal left, Hamas had built a large aresenal of high-grade weaponry.
References.
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