INTERNATIONAL DESK — GAZA — A senior commander of the Palestinian armed group Hamas was killed over the weekend in an Israeli airstrike targeting the southern Gaza Strip, officials from both sides confirmed. Samir Abu Younis, 53, who served as the commander of the Rafah Brigade, lost his life when an overnight strike hit a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Medics reported that multiple other individuals sustained injuries during the same military operation.
According to the armed wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Younis had been a member of the organization since 1991 and held various high-ranking operational positions in Rafah before stepping into the brigade leadership role. The Israeli military verified the targeted elimination, noting that Abu Younis had assumed command of the Rafah Brigade following the death of his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, who was killed on September 15. Mourners gathered in Khan Younis for the commander's funeral.
The targeted operation comes amid an intensified wave of Israeli military strikes across the Palestinian territory despite an October 2025 ceasefire agreement that previously halted major combat operations. The ongoing hostilities continue to fuel intense regional and international alarm. Broader diplomatic efforts have faced severe hurdles as the truce has failed to halt persistent military exchanges or achieve the disarmament of Hamas.
Local health authorities indicate that casualties continue to mount significantly, with at least 1,600 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire took effect, alongside five Israeli soldier fatalities. The devastating military campaign, launched in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel that left approximately 1,200 people dead, has pushed the overall Palestinian death toll past 74,000, compounding an unprecedented humanitarian crisis across the enclave.