Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Sunday that Samir Abu Younis, 53, commander of its Rafah brigade, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, and the Israeli military confirmed it had struck a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing without identifying him. Medics said Abu Younis was killed and others wounded in a strike that targeted him in a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas said Abu Younis joined its armed wing in 1991, held senior operational roles in Rafah before taking command of the brigade, and helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel; his funeral is set for Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis. The October 2025 ceasefire halted major fighting but has not stopped Israeli attacks or secured Hamas’s disarmament; Gaza health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since it took effect, against five Israeli soldiers in the same period.
Israeli strike kills Hamas Rafah brigade commander
Hamas's armed wing said Samir Abu Younis, 53, the commander of its Rafah brigade who helped plan the October 7, 2023 attack, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis on Saturday, and Israel's military confirmed it struck a senior Hamas commander.
Why it matters: Abu Younis is among the most senior Hamas field commanders killed since the October 2025 ceasefire, and his death, confirmed by both sides, tests a truce that has halted major fighting without stopping Israeli strikes or securing Hamas's disarmament.
Data as of Reuters report dated November 15, 2026 (Gaza time), read in full in this run via SRN News after the same item on Arab News was blocked to this reader: the killing and the commander's identity are Hamas's armed wing's own statement, the strike is confirmed by the Israeli military, and the circumstances are medics' accounts carried by Reuters. Gaza casualty totals in the report are Gaza health authorities' figures, as attributed there. Developing item.
Sources
- Israeli military says it struck senior commander in Hamas' military wing - Reuters, via SRN News - 2026-11-15