Hamas confirms Rafah brigade commander killed in Israeli strike in Gaza

Hamas has confirmed the death of its Rafah brigade commander, Samir Abu Younis, in an Israeli air strike on al-Mawasi, in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. The attack on Saturday struck a tent being used to shelter displaced people and left two others wounded.

Before Hamas announced his death, Israel's military and the Shin Bet security agency issued a joint statement saying they had targeted a senior Hamas military commander. They described the operation as a drone strike in Khan Younis on Saturday.

Medical personnel told Al Jazeera that the casualties were brought to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Footage posted by Palestinian journalists near the hospital and verified by the outlet showed ambulances within the hospital grounds, along with stretchers bearing what appeared to be bloodstains.

Al-Mawasi is a strip of land along the Mediterranean coast where displaced Palestinians are crowded into tents. Israel had previously designated the area a humanitarian zone, but has repeatedly carried out attacks there. The latest strike comes amid an escalation of Israeli attacks across Gaza despite the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

In its latest casualty update, released on Saturday, Gaza's Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks had killed 16 people and wounded 68 during the preceding 48 hours. Those figures cover attacks across Gaza, while the strike that killed Abu Younis took place in the south of the territory.

At least 1,643 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and another 5,964 injured since the ceasefire began on October 11, 2025. At least 850 bodies have also been recovered from beneath rubble. The Health Ministry put the overall toll since Israel began its war in Gaza in October 2023 at a minimum of 74,695 people killed and 176,093 wounded.

The ministry separately reported that deaths linked to cold had reached 11 following the death of a nine-month-old baby from hypothermia. It said the baby's death was the first such fatality recorded this winter, adding to the toll of cold-related deaths.

Most of Gaza's residents have been displaced, and people continue to live in tents and damaged buildings. Recent heavy rainfall has caused water damage in those shelters, compounding the conditions facing residents as Israeli attacks continue despite the ceasefire.