Hamas Confirms Death of Rafah Brigade Chief After Israeli Strike

Hamas has confirmed that Samir Abu Younis, commander of its Rafah Brigade, was killed in an Israeli strike on the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday. Al Jazeera, the BBC and ABC News in Australia all reported the death, which came as Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

Israel's military and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that they had targeted a senior Hamas commander. Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said Abu Younis was killed, and a local Hamas official confirmed it, according to the BBC. Hamas said his funeral would be held Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.

The key numbers

53: Abu Younis's age, according to the BBC. He joined Hamas's armed wing in 1991 and held several senior operational roles.
Sept. 15: the date he became Rafah Brigade commander, after the death of his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, who ABC News said was killed in an Israeli strike two months earlier.
16 killed, 68 injured: the toll from Israeli attacks over the previous 48 hours, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
At least 1,643 killed, 5,964 injured: the ministry's count of Palestinians hurt since the ceasefire began Oct. 11, 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera. The BBC said more than 1,640 have been killed and noted that the UN considers the ministry's figures reliable.
At least 74,695 killed, 176,093 injured: the ministry's total since the war began in October 2023, per Al Jazeera.

What happened at the scene

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that four missiles hit a tent in the Al-Waha camp, which shelters hundreds of displaced people in al-Mawasi, and set it on fire. Al Jazeera reported that the strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people and wounded two others. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis told the BBC that three injured people and a body had arrived, so the reports differ on how many were wounded.

Al-Mawasi is a coastal strip crowded with displaced Palestinians living in tents. Al Jazeera noted that Israel has repeatedly attacked the area even though it had designated it a humanitarian zone. The Israeli military said steps were taken “to mitigate harm to civilians” before the strike.

The claims on each side

Israel's military described Abu Younis as a central figure among Hamas's senior leaders. It said he worked to rebuild the strength of the brigade and directed fighters to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. The BBC reported that Israeli officials and Al-Qassam both said he helped plan and oversee the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. That attack killed about 1,200 people, with 251 others taken hostage, and set off the latest war in Gaza.

Al-Qassam said Abu Younis took part in many high-profile operations and resisted Israeli incursions. It called his killing an assassination.

Why it matters

For Gaza's residents, most of whom are displaced and living in tents or damaged buildings, the figures show that deaths and injuries have continued well beyond the ceasefire announcement. Al Jazeera said Israeli attacks have escalated across Gaza since October. Israel says it has the right to strike remaining Hamas militants under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the BBC reported, while the continuing death toll is central to how the truce is judged.

The strike also removes a commander who had held his post for only a few weeks, the second Rafah Brigade chief to be killed in about two months.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, BBC News, ABC News (Australia)

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