Israeli strike kills senior Hamas commander in Gaza

A senior Hamas official who helped plan and oversee the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to officials in Israel and Gaza. Samir Abu Younis, the recently appointed commander of the Rafah Brigade, died on Saturday in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades military wing confirmed.

The Israeli military and the ISA security agency stated they had targeted the commander, noting that they took steps to reduce harm to civilians prior to the strike. Witnesses reported that four missiles hit a tent in the Al-Waha camp, an area sheltering displaced people, which sparked a fire. Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported receiving one body and three injured individuals, though some reports indicated two others were wounded.

In a statement on Telegram, the Israel Defence Forces described Younis as a central figure who had worked to rebuild the brigade's strength and directed terror attacks against Israeli civilians and troops. The Al-Qassam Brigades acknowledged the 53-year-old's death, calling it a cowardly assassination and noting he had been in his role since 15 September following the death of his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid. Younis, who joined the armed wing in 1991, had his funeral scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage, triggered the ongoing war. According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 74,695 people have been killed and 176,093 injured since the conflict began. While a ceasefire was established last October, Israel continues to carry out strikes against remaining Hamas militants, asserting its right to do so under the agreement terms.