Samir Abu Younis, commander of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade, was reportedly eliminated in an Israeli drone strike in Khan Younis; The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed targeting a senior Hamas terrorist but did not identify him
Palestinian sources reported overnight Saturday into Sunday that Samir Abu Younis, commander of the Rafah Brigade in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, was eliminated in an Israeli strike in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in Khan Younis.
Abu Younis was eliminated in a drone strike while inside a vehicle, apparently accompanied by another person. According to the reports, Abu Younis, also known as “Abu Mahmoud,” succeeded the previous brigade commander, Nayal Abu Obeid, who was killed in September.
Shortly after the reports emerged, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they had targeted a “senior terrorist” in Hamas’ military wing, adding that further details about the strike would be released later.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The IDF continues to eliminate Hamas leaders in Gaza, and another one has joined his predecessors in the depths of hell. The offensive policy that I am leading in Gaza together with the prime minister and the IDF will continue until Gaza is demilitarized and Hamas is no more.”
In September, the IDF and Shin Bet eliminated Abu Obeid, the previous commander of the Rafah Brigade, in a drone strike. Abu Obeid took over as commander of the Rafah Brigade in May 2025, succeeding Muhammad Shabana, who was killed in Khan Younis alongside Mohammed Sinwar, then the head of Hamas’ military wing.
On Thursday, reports from Gaza described an unusual Israeli strike targeting a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The target was Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of the Khan Younis Brigade. Palestinian reports claimed he was among those killed, while the IDF was investigating whether the strike had succeeded.
Sources in Gaza also claimed that at least six people were killed, including a surgeon and a teenager, and more than 20 others were wounded. According to Palestinian sources, one of those killed, Murad Abu Zarifa, was responsible for abducting Adina Moshe from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
The strike at Nasser Hospital came amid Hamas’ efforts to rebuild its Khan Younis Brigade and restore its operational capabilities. Israeli security officials had identified Abu Ismail, who was appointed commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, as having recently worked to rebuild the brigade’s military structure. He assembled a team of commanders, established a new chain of command and developed an organizational infrastructure that would enable Hamas to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.
As reported by Ynetnews