Hamas armed wing says Rafah brigade commander killed in Israeli strike

Al-Qassam announces commander’s death

Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced early Sunday that Samir Mahmoud Abu Younis, commander of its Rafah brigade, was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza. The group said Abu Younis, a member of its General Military Council, died in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

Abu Younis led the Rafah brigade that was previously commanded by Nael Abu Obeid, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis on Sept. 15.

Israeli army and hospital accounts

Earlier, the Israeli army said it had carried out a strike together with the Shin Bet security agency targeting a senior member of Hamas’ armed wing, without identifying the individual. Nasser Medical Complex had reported that an Israeli drone strike in Al-Mawasi killed one Palestinian and wounded two others.

Ceasefire violations and the war’s toll

Figures released by Gaza’s Health Ministry show that Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, have killed 1,643 Palestinians and wounded 5,964 others as of Saturday. Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 176,000, most of them women and children, according to the ministry. Around 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed in the war, while the UN estimates reconstruction costs at approximately $71.4 billion.