Muhammad Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, suffered a severe head injury and had his leg amputated after surviving an Israeli targeted strike at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to Israeli sources. The strike was part of a series of operations targeting senior Hamas commanders in southern Gaza, with another targeted strike carried out overnight between Saturday and Sunday.

Security officials said the operation was the fifth attempt to eliminate a Hamas brigade commander in the past two months, as part of a systematic effort to dismantle the senior chain of command of Hamas's military wing. The list includes the elimination of Ahmed Ghandour, commander of Hamas's northern Gaza Brigade, and two strikes against commanders of the Khan Yunis Brigade: the first killed Rafa'a Salameh, and the second critically wounded his successor. Two further strikes targeted commanders of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, including Nael Abu Obeid, who was killed on September 15, and Samir Abu Younis, who was targeted overnight between Saturday and Sunday.S1S2

According to security officials, the IDF Southern Command, under Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor, together with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), is placing unprecedented pressure on Hamas's military wing, which is struggling to restore its command-and-control capabilities on the ground. The IDF assessed that Hamas's military wing is preparing for two main courses of action: operating below the threshold likely to trigger a major escalation, such as sniper fire, planting explosive devices or isolated attacks, or attempting a complex attack resembling the events of October 7 or a more limited operation such as abducting an IDF soldier. Such an attack would give Hamas a strategic bargaining chip, but would also risk plunging the region into broader escalation.S1S2