Samir Abu Younis, the newly appointed commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the Al-Waha camp in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, on Saturday, according to Israeli and Hamas officials.
Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades identified Abu Younis as one of the commanders involved in planning and overseeing the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. The Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency said they had targeted him, describing him as a senior Hamas figure working to rebuild the Rafah Brigade and organize attacks.
In a statement, the Israeli agencies said steps had been taken to reduce harm to civilians. Hamas’s armed wing described Abu Younis’s killing as an assassination.
Witnesses said four missiles hit a tent in the camp, which shelters displaced people, and sparked a fire. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said three injured people and one body had arrived at the facility.
New commander had held senior operational roles
Abu Younis, 53, had taken command of the Rafah Brigade on 15 September after the death of its previous commander, Nael Abu Obeid. Hamas said he joined its armed wing in 1991 and held several senior operational positions before his appointment. The group said his funeral would take place in Khan Younis on Sunday afternoon.
The strike was reported amid a ceasefire reached last October. Israel has continued to carry out occasional strikes, saying they target remaining Hamas militants and are permitted under the ceasefire terms.
BBC reporting attributed the account of the strike and the death to officials in Israel and Gaza.