Hamas Confirms Rafah Brigade Commander Killed in Israeli Strike in Gaza
Hamas confirmed on Sunday that Samir Abu Younis, the commander of its Rafah Brigade, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza, in the latest blow to a ceasefire that has held only in name for more than a year.
The strike took place on Saturday in al-Mawasi, in the Khan Younis area, where large numbers of displaced Palestinians are sheltering in tents. Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement in the early hours of Sunday that they had struck a senior member of Hamas’s military wing. They did not name him at first.
Hours later, Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed that the dead man was Abu Younis, 53, and said his funeral would be held on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis. Reuters reported that both sides confirmed his death.
A commander who had held the post for two months
Abu Younis had led the Rafah Brigade for only about two months. He took command after his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, was killed in an Israeli strike on 15 September, according to the Israeli military.
Hamas said Abu Younis joined the Al-Qassam Brigades in 1991 and had held several senior operational roles in Rafah before rising to command the brigade. The group described him as a member of its General Military Council and said he played a key role in planning the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel’s military accused him of directing attacks against Israeli civilians and troops and of working to rebuild the brigade’s fighting capabilities. The Times of Israel reported that the military said it used precision munitions and aerial surveillance in an effort to limit civilian harm.
What happened in al-Mawasi
Al Jazeera reported, citing medical personnel, that the strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people and wounded two others, who were taken to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Reuters, citing medics, reported that Abu Younis was killed in a street in the Mawasi area. The accounts differ on the precise spot, but agree that others were wounded alongside him.
The killing came days after an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed at least six people.
Many of the displaced families sheltering in tents across Gaza have endured flooding and winter cold as the war’s destruction has left homes uninhabitable.
A ceasefire under strain
An October 2025 ceasefire halted major fighting in the Israel-Gaza war, but it has not stopped Israeli attacks or secured Hamas’s disarmament, and both sides accuse each other of breaking its terms.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks had killed 16 people and wounded 68 others in the previous 48 hours. Reuters reported that Gaza health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while five Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period.
Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in the military campaign Israel launched against Gaza after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in the October 7 attack.
The strike also comes as regional tensions remain high, with US intelligence assessing that Iran still holds a large missile arsenal despite recent strikes.
What happens next
For now, the truce remains formally in place, but each new killing of a senior commander makes it harder to hold. Hamas has not said who will succeed Abu Younis in Rafah, and Israel has given no sign that its campaign of targeted strikes is ending.
Whether mediators can keep the ceasefire from unravelling further will depend on whether either side treats the latest death as a reason to return to the negotiating table — or as a reason to strike again.
