In brief

• The Israeli military says it killed Samir Abu Younis, commander of Hamas's Rafah brigade, in a strike in Gaza.
• Hamas confirmed his death; Israel says he helped plan the 7 October 2023 attack and rebuild the group.
• The killing comes despite a ceasefire from October 2025 that has not stopped Israeli strikes or Hamas disarmament.

Strike in Al-Mawasi

The Israeli military said it killed Samir Abu Younis in an air strike on Sunday, 15 November, in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza (Israelischer Angriff im Gazastreifen: Ranghoher Hamas-Kommandeur tot – tagesschau.de). Israeli security sources placed the strike there. The armed wing of Hamas confirmed his death (Gazastreifen - Ranghoher Hamas-Kommandeur bei Luftangriff getötet – Deutschlandfunk) (Israel kills senior member of Hamas's military wing in Gaza strike – France 24).

Role in Hamas

The army described him as a senior member of the group's military wing. It said he had been commander of the Rafah brigade for only about two months and was a key figure among Hamas's senior ranks. According to the military, he had worked on rebuilding the organisation and its brigade in Rafah. Israel also says he was one of the main planners of the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Hamas itself has said he played a prominent role in planning those attacks.

Context of the ceasefire

The strike comes under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect in October 2025 and ended the heavy fighting in Gaza. The truce has not stopped Israeli strikes, and it has not led to Hamas giving up its weapons. Israel's military has carried out strikes in Gaza in recent days, and on 12 November it reported that a strike had killed six people.

What comes next

No further details on follow-up operations were given in the reports available. Israel has not said whether the killing will change the terms of the truce.