Israel kills third successive Hamas Rafah Brigade commander

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reiterated that Hamas must disarm and Gaza must be demilitarized before reconstruction begins.

By Brian Racer, JNS

The Israeli Air Force and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) eliminated Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis, commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, in an overnight airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said on Sunday.

Abu Younis had led the brigade for approximately two months following the targeted killing of his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, on Sept. 15.

He previously served as deputy commander of the brigade and commander of its Tel al-Sultan Battalion and was considered a prominent figure in Hamas’s senior leadership, according to the IDF.

The military said Abu Younis directed terrorists to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

He also worked to rebuild the Rafah Brigade and restore Hamas’s military capabilities following significant losses during the war.

Muhammad Shabana, who previously commanded the brigade, was killed on May 13, 2025, alongside senior Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar in an Israeli strike beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.

The latest elimination followed an Israeli airstrike on Thursday targeting Muhammad Abu Ismail, a senior commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

The IDF said Friday that Hamas had used the hospital as a heavily guarded military headquarters and held dozens of Israeli and foreign hostages there during the war.

According to the military, Abu Ismail was responsible for holding several Israeli hostages and directing operations against Israeli forces from the facility. His death had not been confirmed.

Separately, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reiterated on Tuesday that Hamas must disarm and Gaza must be demilitarized before reconstruction begins under U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

“To date, Hamas has not surrendered a single weapon,” the statement said, calling on mediators to demand the terrorist organization’s immediate disarmament throughout the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would continue targeting Hamas leaders in Gaza.

“The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps,” Katz wrote on X, adding that another Hamas leader had joined his predecessors “in the depths of hell.”

“The offensive policy that I am leading together with the prime minister and the IDF in Gaza will continue until Gaza is demilitarized and Hamas is gone,” he added.