Israel says it killed Hamas terrorist behind 2004 bus bombings that killed 16 civilians

A Hamas terrorist behind a deadly 2004 double suicide bombing was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip last week, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency announce.

Basel Himouni was targeted on February 4 as part of a series of strikes against terror operatives in response to an attack by gunmen on troops in the Strip’s north, during which one reservist officer was seriously wounded.

Himouni, a prominent Hamas member from Hebron, dispatched two suicide bombers to carry out a simultaneous attack on two buses in Beersheba in August 2004. The attacks killed 16 Israeli civilians and wounded over 100.

Himouni was captured in October 2004 and sentenced to jail, but was released and exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal in which Israel exchanged 1,027 terror convicts for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

The military and Shin Bet say that since his release from Israeli custody, Himouni “returned to recruiting attackers and directing terrorist activity.”

“As part of his role in Hamas, during the war he was involved in manufacturing and planting explosive devices to harm our forces,” the joint statement adds.

Hamas terrorist Basel Himouni is targeted in an Israeli airstrike on February 4, 2026, in footage published by the IDF. (Israel Defense Forces)