The Israeli military said on Sunday its forces had killed a senior member of Hamas's military wing in Gaza. The militant group confirmed the death of Samir Abu Younis, the commander of its Rafah brigade, adding that he played a prominent role in planning the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Hamas said on Sunday that a senior commander who helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel had been killed in an Israeli air strike, with the Israeli military confirming his death.
Samir Abu Younis, 53, the commander of the Rafah brigade, was killed on Saturday, said the Palestinian militant group's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
The Israeli military said it had killed Abu Younis in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, adding that he had led the Rafah brigade since his predecessor, Nael Abu Obeid, was killed on September 15.
Medics said Abu Younis was killed and others were wounded in an airstrike that targeted him in a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas said Abu Younis joined Hamas's armed wing in 1991 and had held several senior operational roles in Rafah before becoming commander of the brigade.
His funeral will be held on Sunday afternoon in Khan Younis, Hamas said.