IDF kills Hamas Rafah Brigade commander in Gaza strike

The IDF and Shin Bet security agency confirmed Sunday that they had killed Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis, commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade, in an overnight airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip. The military also released footage showing Abu Younis walking along a street before being struck from the air. The military said Abu Younis, who had led the brigade for approximately two months, directed attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers and oversaw efforts to rebuild Hamas' military capabilities following heavy losses during the war.

Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced Abu Younis' death overnight, saying he was killed in an Israeli strike in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone near Khan Younis. Earlier Palestinian reports had suggested he was struck while inside a vehicle, apparently accompanied by another person. The footage released by the IDF, however, showed him walking outdoors at the time of the strike. Hamas said Abu Younis, also known as Abu Mahmoud, joined its military wing in 1991 and had spent time in an Israeli prison.

According to the terrorist organization, he participated in numerous operations and battles against the IDF and served as an active commander during the war in Gaza. He rose through the ranks of the Rafah Brigade, eventually commanding its western battalion before taking charge of the entire brigade. Hamas also described him as "one of the most important commanders involved in planning the October 7 attack." According to the military, Abu Younis assumed command of the Rafah Brigade following the killing of his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, on September 15.

He had previously held several senior positions within the brigade, including deputy commander and commander of its Tel al-Sultan Battalion, and was described by the IDF as a key figure in Hamas' military leadership. In his latest position, Abu Younis directed Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, the military said. He also worked to rebuild the Rafah Brigade's forces and restore operational capabilities that had been severely damaged during the war.

The IDF said measures were taken before the strike to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, including the use of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance. Israeli forces under Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the existing agreement and will continue operating against immediate threats, the military added. Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the killing, saying: "The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

The IDF continues to eliminate Hamas leaders in Gaza, and another one has joined his predecessors in the depths of hell. The offensive policy that I am leading in Gaza together with the prime minister and the IDF will continue until Gaza is demilitarized and Hamas is no more." Abu Younis is the latest commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade to be killed by Israel. His predecessor, Abu Obeid, was killed in a drone strike in September, just four months after taking command.

Abu Obeid had succeeded Muhammad Shabana, who was killed in Khan Younis in May 2025 alongside Mohammed Sinwar, then the head of Hamas' military wing. The latest strike follows another Israeli operation targeting Hamas' senior military leadership in southern Gaza. On Thursday, Palestinian reports described an unusual strike against a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where Israel was reportedly targeting Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade.

Palestinian sources claimed Abu Ismail was among those killed, although the IDF was still examining whether the operation had succeeded. According to Palestinian sources, at least six people were killed in the hospital strike, including a surgeon and a teenager, while more than 20 others were wounded. The reports also identified one of the dead as Murad Abu Zarifa, who Palestinian sources said was responsible for abducting Adina Moshe from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 attack.

The operation at Nasser Hospital came amid Israeli concerns that Hamas was attempting to restore the Khan Younis Brigade's operational capabilities. Israeli security officials had identified Abu Ismail as a central figure in those efforts, saying he had assembled a new team of commanders, established a chain of command and developed an organizational structure intended to enable renewed terrorist attacks against Israel.