Hamas says senior commander killed in Israeli airstrike

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Sunday, 15 November 2026 at 07:58

A senior Hamas commander who helped plan and oversee the 7 October 2023 attack had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to the Palestinian militant group.

Its armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades said 53-year-old Samir Abu Younis, the commander of ‌its Rafah brigade, was killed on Saturday.

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

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

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

A funeral for Abu Younis would be held on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis, it added.

Although a ceasefire in Gaza went into effect in October 2025 and halted major fighting, Israeli strikes have continued.

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Gaza health authorities say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire started. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been ⁠killed in Gaza since Hamas launched its 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel.

Sky News

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