IDF eliminates Hamas weapons kingpin in precision Gaza strike

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) confirmed Thursday that they have eliminated Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar, the senior Hamas terrorist responsible for the group’s weapons smuggling network. Abu Shaar was killed in a targeted strike earlier this week in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, Abu Shaar played a key role in recent years in smuggling weapons and military equipment into Gaza for use by Hamas. Many of these weapons were used in the brutal October 7th massacre in southern Israel, during which Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 people.

In a separate operation last week, IDF and ISA forces also eliminated another high-value terrorist target: Mazen Ibrahim Mahfouz Farra, a senior operative in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Farra was a central figure in directing major terror attacks inside Israeli territory over the past two years, with intensified activity in recent months.

To minimize civilian casualties, the IDF emphasized that it used precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and real-time intelligence in preparation for the strikes.

Over the past 48 hours, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has struck more than 110 targets belonging to terror groups across the Gaza Strip. These included terrorist squads, military compounds, and key infrastructure used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

One of the significant targets struck was a central Hamas naval force facility in the Nuseirat area. This structure was used to plan and promote maritime attacks against Israeli civilians.

In northern Gaza, IDF Division 252 forces dismantled underground tunnel infrastructure and neutralized armed terrorists who approached Israeli troops.

Further south, in Rafah, troops from the Gaza Division and Division 36 located and destroyed tunnel shafts, weapons caches, mortar launch sites, and rocket launchers—both above and below ground, including in the ‘Morag’ corridor area.

The operations are part of an ongoing campaign to dismantle the operational capabilities of Hamas and other terror groups operating within Gaza.