Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces had targeted a senior member of Hamas’s military wing, while Palestinian sources confirmed that a Hamas commander was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza. Samir Abu Younis, a commander in Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in the strike, according to Palestinian sources in Gaza.

Two other people injured in strike 

“A short while ago, the IDF and ISA struck a senior terrorist in Hamas’ military wing,” the Israeli military said in a joint statement with Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, in the early hours of Sunday. The military did not disclose the target’s identity but said further details would be provided later.

A security source told news agency AFP shortly after midnight that Younis, commander of the Rafah Brigade of the Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in a strike targeting him in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.

Gaza’s Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that the agency had received the body of Younis, 53. He added that two other people were wounded in the strike in southern Gaza.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire under strain

Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025, following two years of war triggered by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group.

Although the US-backed ceasefire has largely brought down the intensity of fighting, Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes in the Gaza Strip.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The United Nations considers the ministry’s casualty figures reliable.

During the same period, the Israeli military has reported the deaths of seven soldiers and one civilian contractor.

Meanwhile, Israel’s former army chief Gadi Eisenkot is engaged in negotiations to form a governing coalition, while caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to oversee military operations.

Six killed, 27 injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital

Earlier on November 13, at least six people, including a healthcare worker, patients and their companions, were killed and 27 others injured in an Israeli strike on the surgical department of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry said the hospital’s surgical building was targeted early in the morning, killing six people, including Dr Rizq Abu Shuaira, while several others sustained injuries.

The ministry described the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international laws protecting medical facilities, healthcare workers and patients, and urged the international community and United Nations bodies to intervene to protect hospitals and ensure accountability.

(With AFP inputs)

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