Death sentence for Hamas leader's killers

A Palestinian military court has sentenced two men to death for their involvement in the 1996 assassination of the Hamas military leader, Yehya Ayyash.

The court found Kamal and Hussam Hammad guilty of collaborating with the Israeli Secret Service, Mossad, in the killing of Mr Ayyash who at the time topped Israel's most wanted list.

The men who are related are believed to have fled to Israel immediately after the attack and were sentenced in absentia.

They face death by firing squad.

The killing of Mr Ayyash known as the Engineer for his bomb-making skills sparked off a succession of revenge suicide bombings in the months after his death.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service