Senior Hamas commander killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Yomna Ehab Nov 15 (Reuters) - Hamas said on Sunday that a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, with the Israeli military confirming his death. Samir Abu Younis, 53, the commander of the Rafah brigade, was killed on Saturday, said the Palestinian militant group's armed wing, the…
In a strike on Wednesday, Israeli forces killed Samir Abu Younis, a 53-year-old senior Hamas commander, according to both the Palestinian militant group and the Israeli military. Abu Younis, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza, had overseen the Rafah brigade since the death of his predecessor earlier in September. The militant group claimed Abu Younis, who joined Hamas' armed wing in 1991, played a pivotal role in planning and executing the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamas reported Abu Younis' death, stating that he was killed and others were injured in an airstrike that targeted him in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Hamas plans to hold a funeral for Abu Younis in the city this afternoon. Despite an October 2025 ceasefire that halted significant fighting between Israel and Gaza, the ongoing conflict continues with Israeli attacks and no Hamas disarmament.
Gaza health officials report that at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, and five Israeli soldiers have lost their lives. Palestinian authorities estimate that over 74,000 people have died in the military campaign launched by Israel following the October 7 attack.
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