The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed Tuesday the elimination of Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar, the head of Hamas’s smuggling network, in a targeted airstrike in southern Gaza. Abu Shaar, who had been a key figure in the terror group’s logistics and weapons procurement efforts, was responsible for funneling arms and military equipment into Gaza over the last several years — including the stockpiles used in Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre. Israeli officials say Abu Shaar’s role was central to sustaining Hamas’s war machine, helping the organization circumvent international restrictions and continue its terror operations against Israeli civilians. The IDF released aerial footage of the airstrike, showing the precise moment the vehicle carrying Abu Shaar was struck in Khan Younis. Surveillance and intelligence gathered over time led to the operation, which Israel says was carried out with “surgical accuracy.” “Abu Shaar’s elimination is a significant operational achievement,” a senior IDF official said. “He was not only a smuggler — he was the artery through which deadly weapons flowed into Gaza and into the hands of terrorists.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)