Will Israel's repeated strikes on Hamas's replacement commanders lead to lasting change? - analysis

The IDF's elimination of Hamas Rafah Brigade commander Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis overnight Saturday on November 14-15 illustrates an emerging pattern in Israel's operations in Gaza. The Israeli military is systematically targeting Hamas commanders who have recently been appointed to replace senior officers killed earlier in the war.Will this prevent Hamas from rebuilding its forces? Or, if the tactic is not paired with a strategy to remove Hamas, will this merely be another iteration of what the IDF has done in the past?

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said on November 15 that they had eliminated Abu Younis in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip. "Samir Abu Younis served as the commander of the Rafah Brigade for only approximately two months, following the elimination of the brigade's previous commander, Nael Abu Obeid, on September 15," the IDF said.

The Israeli military noted that Abu Younis had previously served as deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and commander of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion. He was not a new figure within Hamas's military hierarchy. He was an experienced officer promoted to replace commanders who had been eliminated. It's surprising he had survived this long since most Hamas battalion and company commanders were eliminated in the last three years of war.

According to the IDF, Abu Younis directed attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers and sought to rebuild the brigade's capabilities after the losses it sustained during the war. It appears that he joined Hamas' Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades in 1991 and had been involved in planning and overseeing the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.His targeting follows a series of strikes against commanders of Hamas's two southern Gaza brigades. On November 12, the IDF targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, identified by the military as the commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, in a strike at the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Yunis.

On September 11, the IDF announced that it had eliminated Muhammad Yazouri, who had previously commanded the same brigade.

This is another example of the cycle of Gaza fighting. The IDF had cleared Khan Yunis of Hamas several times in the war, beginning in early 2024. It also had cleared Nasser Hospital. However, each time the area was handed back to Hamas. Even though the IDF today controls around 65 percent of Gaza, Hamas is still in control of the rest and controls the lives of 2 million civilians.

The Rafah Brigade has experienced similar turnover as Khan Yunis. Rafah was conquered by the IDF in the spring and summer of 2024. It was then partially razed. The IDF took over most of Rafah again in March and April 2025. Hamas returned to some areas and had to be cleared again. Even after the ceasefire in October 2025, some Hamas members remain underground in a tunnel complex. Abu Obeid, eliminated in September, had replaced Muhammad Shabana, who was killed in an Israeli strike on May 13, 2025, alongside senior Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar.The succession of commanders illustrates the difficulty Hamas faces in replacing these men, only to see the replacements killed.IDF strikes Hamas commanders across entire military structureHamas historically has organized its military wing into five regional brigades: North Gaza, Gaza City, Central Gaza, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.

These formations included battalions and smaller units responsible for operations in their respective areas.During more than three years of war, the IDF has targeted commanders throughout this structure, from brigade leaders to battalion and company commanders. Israel has also sought to dismantle command centers, tunnel networks, weapons production facilities, and other military infrastructure. However, the elimination of a commander does not necessarily mean the elimination of a military formation.

Hamas can appoint replacements, transfer surviving officers between units, and attempt to rebuild its command networks.

This is particularly important in southern Gaza. Israel controls Rafah, yet Hamas continues to appoint commanders to its Rafah Brigade. These commanders may operate from other parts of Gaza, including Khan Yunis. The latest strike shows the difference between controlling territory and preventing a terrorist army from regenerating.By targeting replacement commanders soon after their appointments, Israel may seek to prevent Hamas's ability to re-establish its command and control.

However, so far Hamas has not collapsed and has managed to hold on, as it has in previous rounds of war and previous decades. Experienced Hamas members are being targeted though. How deep is the Hamas bench in terms of commanders?

This approach also creates a dilemma for Hamas. The terrorists must continue appointing commanders to maintain a semblance of military command, but each new appointment potentially exposes another senior officer to being killed.

The IDF said that Abu Younis had been working to restore the brigade's force buildup, showing that efforts to rebuild Hamas's capabilities remain a problem. The IDF also said it had taken precautions to reduce civilian casualties during the strike, including use of precision weapons and aerial surveillance. The broader significance of these operations is that Israel appears determined to prevent Hamas from reconstituting its military command even after major combat operations have subsided.IDF campaign against Hamas leadership enters new phaseThe repeated targeting of replacement commanders in Rafah and Khan Yunis suggests that the campaign against Hamas's leadership has entered a new phase.Most Hamas fighters and commanders alive on October 7, 2023 have been killed.

In July 2024, the IDF reported that it had eliminated six brigade commanders, more than 20 battalion commanders and approximately 150 company commanders in Gaza since the beginning of the war. In October 2025, the IDF reported that the 99th Division alone had eliminated five battalion commanders and nine company commanders and their deputies during four months of operations in northern Gaza.The IDF also confirmed that Muhammad Shabana, the Rafah Brigade commander, was killed alongside Mohammad Sinwar and South Khan Yunis Battalion commander Mahdi Quara on May 13, 2025.

Israel has spent years seeking to erode Hamas's command structure, and the latest operations are a continuing effort to prevent its regeneration. However the terrorist group shows it can continue to recruit and appoint new commanders. As time elapses, Hamas will rebuild itself as it has in the past.It remains to be seen if killing replacement commanders, and then their replacements, will have a strategic affect.