Hamas identifies senior commander killed in Israeli airstrike

The military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday that a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Al-Qassam Brigades identified the commander as Samir Abu Younis, 53, the head of the Rafah Brigade, saying he was killed on Saturday.

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had targeted a senior Hamas military commander, but did not disclose his identity.

Medics said Abu Younis was killed and others wounded in an airstrike that targeted him on a street in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Hamas said Abu Younis joined its military wing in 1991 and held several key operational positions in Rafah before becoming brigade commander.

Hamas said his funeral would be held on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis.

A ceasefire in October 2023 halted major fighting, but Israeli strikes have continued and Hamas has not been disarmed.

Health authorities in Gaza say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Five Israeli soldiers have died in the same period.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.