Senior Hamas commander killed in Israeli strike in Gaza

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Hamas said a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, with the Israeli military confirming his…

Hamas said a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, with the Israeli military confirming his death.

Samir Abu Younis, 53, the commander of the Rafah brigade, was killed yesterday, the Palestinian militant group's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, has said.

The Israeli military said it had killed Mr Abu Younis in a strike in southern Gaza overnight, adding that he had led the Rafah brigade since his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, was killed on 15 September.

Medics said Mr Abu Younis was killed and others were wounded in an airstrike that targeted him in a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Hamas said Mr Abu Younis joined Hamas' armed wing in 1991 and had held several senior operational roles in Rafah before becoming commander of the brigade.

An October 2025 ceasefire halted major fighting in the Israel-Gaza war but has not stopped Israeli attacks or secured Hamas' disarmament.

Gaza health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire went into effect, while five Israeli soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in the military campaign that Israel launched against Gaza after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in the 7 October attack.

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