Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, has announced the death of a senior commander, Samir Abu Younis, who was involved in planning and overseeing the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The group identified Abu Younis, 53, as the commander of its Rafah brigade, saying he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that it had carried out a strike targeting a senior commander of Hamas’ armed wing but did not disclose his identity.
According to medics, Abu Younis was killed while others sustained injuries when the airstrike hit him on a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
The Al-Qassam Brigades said Abu Younis joined Hamas’ armed wing in 1991 and subsequently held several senior operational positions in Rafah before his appointment as brigade commander.
The group said his funeral would take place on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.
The development comes amid continued violence in Gaza despite an October 2025 ceasefire agreement that halted major hostilities.
However, the truce has failed to stop Israeli attacks or secure the disarmament of Hamas.
Gaza health authorities said at least 1,600 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while five Israeli soldiers had also died during the same period.
Palestinian authorities put the overall death toll from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza at more than 74,000.
The offensive began after Hamas-led fighters killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel during the October 2023 attack.
