- Hamas confirmed senior commander Samir Abu Younis killed in Gaza.
- Younis was a key planner of October 7 attack.
- Israeli strike occurred amidst fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
A senior Hamas military commander who allegedly played a key role in planning the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel has been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, the Palestinian militant group has confirmed.
Samir Abu Younis, identified by Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades as one of the key figures involved in planning and overseeing the attack, was killed on Saturday evening. The Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that its forces had targeted a senior member of Hamas’s military wing.
“A short while ago, the IDF and ISA struck a senior terrorist in Hamas’ military wing,” the Israeli military said in a joint statement with Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, in the early hours of Sunday. It did not immediately identify the target, saying further details would be provided later.
Hamas Confirms Death Of Rafah Brigade Commander
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed Younis’s death, describing the operation as a “cowardly assassination operation”.
The group said he was “among the most important commanders involved in the planning and supervision of the 7 October attack.”
According to a report by AFP, a security source said that Younis, the commander of Al-Qassam’s Rafah Brigade, had been killed in a strike targeting him in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.
Gaza’s civil defence spokesman, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP that the agency had received the body of Younis, 53. He added that two other people were wounded in the strike in southern Gaza.
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Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Remains Fragile
The killing comes amid continuing tensions between Israel and Hamas, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, bringing a pause to two years of war triggered by the October 7 attack.
Although the US-backed truce has largely reduced the intensity of fighting, Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The United Nations has considered the ministry’s casualty figures reliable.
During the same period, the Israeli military has reported the deaths of seven soldiers and one civilian contractor.
Meanwhile, Israel’s former army chief Gadi Eisenkot is engaged in negotiations to form a governing coalition. His rival, caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remains responsible for military operations.
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