Israeli airstrikes killed Samir Abu Younis, a senior Hamas figure who helped plan and oversee the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, officials in Israel and Gaza have said. Abu Younis, the newly appointed commander of the Rafah Brigade, was killed on Saturday in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades military wing, and a local Hamas official confirmed his death.
Eyewitnesses said four missiles struck a tent in the Al-Waha camp, which shelters hundreds of displaced people in Al-Mawasi, causing a fire to break out. A medical source at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said three injured people had arrived there, along with a dead body. The Israel Defence Forces and the Israel Security Agency said in a statement on Telegram that they had "eliminated" Abu Younis, describing him as a central figure among Hamas's senior figures who had directed brigade fighters to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians and troops. The Israeli military said steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians before the strike.S1
Al-Qassam Brigades said Abu Younis had participated in numerous high-profile operations and was one of the most important commanders involved in planning and overseeing the 7 October attack, calling his killing a "cowardly assassination". Abu Younis, 53, had held the post since 15 September, following the death of the brigade's previous commander, Nael Abu Obeid. He joined Hamas's armed wing in 1991 and held several senior operational roles before becoming commander. His funeral is due on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.S1S2
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage, triggering the most recent war in Gaza. Since then, more than 74,650 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory, according to the Gaza health ministry. A ceasefire was reached last October, but Israel has continued occasional strikes it says target remaining Hamas militants, which it argues it is entitled to carry out under the ceasefire agreement.S1
