Hamas smuggler Wissam Abu Ashak eliminated in airstrike

An Israel Air Force aircraft on Tuesday evening struck and eliminated Hamas weapons smuggler Wissam Abu Ashak in southern Gaza, the military reported the following morning.

The strike on the weapons smuggler was conducted under the direction of IDF Intelligence.

According to the military, Ashak had been active over the last few years, directing smuggling operations that brought weapons into Gaza through the Rafah Crossing and other underground tunnels.

Other operational activity

Additionally, the IDF reported that the air force had struck a launch site overnight in the Rafah area of the Strip that housed ready-to-fire rockets. 

Furthermore, Israel Air Force aircraft also struck numerous other targets overnight, including terror cells, military structures, and subterranean tunnels, among others.

Since the IDF took complete control over the Philadelphi Corridor early this month, IDF officials have noted that the achievement would cripple Hamas's ability to operate and acquire weapons from outside of the Strip.

On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that the military's operational activities in Rafah were nearing a conclusion and that Hamas was almost dismantled in the southern Gazan City.

Halevi also stated that the IDF's control of the Corridor "is very significant to close off the oxygen from Hamas to carry out future smuggling."