Israel Kills Senior Hamas Commander in Gaza

Mangalore Today News Network

Tel Aviv, Nov 15, 2026: Hamas commander Samir Abu Younis, who allegedly played a key role in planning the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on Saturday.

The Israeli military and internal security agency Shin Bet confirmed on Sunday that they had targeted a senior member of Hamas’s military wing. Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades subsequently confirmed Younis’s death, describing it as an assassination.

Younis, 53, was the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade. According to a security source, he was killed in a strike targeting him in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. Gaza’s civil defence agency confirmed receiving his body and reported that two others were injured in the attack.

The strike comes amid continuing tensions over the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, following two years of war triggered by the October 7 attack. Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce.

Although the US-backed ceasefire has largely reduced hostilities, Israel has continued carrying out strikes in Gaza. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military has reported seven soldiers and one civilian contractor killed during the same period.