Senior Hamas Commander Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza

A senior Hamas commander tied by the group to the planning and oversight of the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, Hamas said — a death the Israeli military also confirmed.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, identified the commander as Samir Abu Younis, 53, saying he was killed yesterday while serving as head of the Rafah brigade.

Israel’s military said it killed Mr Abu Younis in an overnight strike in southern Gaza, describing him as the Rafah brigade commander who had taken over after his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, was killed on 15 September.

Medics said the strike targeted Mr Abu Younis in a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing him and wounding others.

According to Hamas, Mr Abu Younis joined the movement’s armed wing in 1991 and rose through a series of senior operational posts in Rafah before assuming command of the brigade.

Hamas said his funeral will take place this afternoon in Khan Younis.

Major combat in the Israel-Gaza war was curtailed by an October 2025 ceasefire, but Israeli strikes have continued and the truce has not produced Hamas’ disarmament.

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

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