Israeli air strike kills senior Hamas commander Samir Abu Younis in southern Gaza
Hamas has confirmed that Rafah brigade commander Samir Abu Younis was killed Saturday in an Israeli drone strike on the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that they targeted a senior Hamas commander. The strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people, wounding two others who were taken to Nasser Medical Complex. Al-Mawasi, a Mediterranean coastal strip crowded with displaced families in tents, has been repeatedly attacked despite previously being designated a humanitarian zone.
The attack comes amid ongoing casualties across the enclave. Gaza’s Ministry of Health stated that Israeli strikes killed 16 people and wounded 68 over the past 48 hours. Since a ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,643 Palestinians and injured 5,964, with at least 850 bodies retrieved from under rubble. Since October 2023, overall casualties have reached at least 74,695 killed and 176,093 injured.
Meanwhile, displaced residents face worsening conditions from heavy rains in damaged shelters. Cold-related fatalities have reached 11 after a nine-month-old baby died from hypothermia, the first such death recorded this winter.
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