Samir Abu Younis, the military commander of the Rafah Brigade within the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli airstrike early Sunday targeting the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Field sources reported that the strike resulted in Abu Younis’s immediate death. The Israeli army confirmed carrying out an aerial operation against a prominent Hamas commander inside Gaza, coordinated between the air force and Israeli security agencies, with promises to disclose further details later.
Israeli media stated that the attack was a joint effort between the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security service. It targeted a key leader in the Al-Qassam Brigades as part of Israel’s systematic policy of assassinating resistance figures.
The deceased, 53-year-old Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis, hailed from the western camp in Rafah city. He had a notable military career within Al-Qassam, previously commanding the Tel Sultan battalion and later appointed to lead the Rafah Brigade, succeeding commander Nael Abu Obeid who was killed by Israeli forces in September.
Abu Younis was actively involved in numerous military operations since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and supervised defense activities in Rafah during the most recent aggression on Gaza.
The Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, densely populated with displaced people, is frequently targeted by Israeli strikes under claims of resistance presence, causing civilian and militant casualties.
Observers suggest these targeted killings aim to weaken the leadership capabilities of the resistance in southern Gaza. However, resistance sources affirm that field operations continue unabated and that the martyrdom of leaders will not deter fighters from confronting the occupying forces.