Hamas has confirmed that its Rafah brigade commander, Samir Abu Younis, died in an Israeli strike on al-Mawasi, an area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that they had targeted a senior Hamas military commander with a drone on Saturday in Khan Younis.
The strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people and wounded two others. Medical staff said the casualties were taken to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
Tent strike in al-Mawasi leaves ambulances and bloodied stretchers
Verified video footage, posted by Palestinian journalists from near the hospital, showed ambulances inside the grounds and stretchers that appeared to be stained with blood.
Also read: Israeli strikes kill five in Gaza as UN seeks emergency tents
Al-Mawasi is a coastal strip on the Mediterranean packed with displaced Palestinians living in tents. Israel has repeatedly attacked the area, even though it had previously been designated a humanitarian zone.
Health ministry reports rising toll since the ceasefire
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said in its latest update that Israeli attacks had killed 16 people and injured 68 over the previous 48 hours. Since the ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025, at least 1,643 Palestinians have been killed and 5,964 injured, and 850 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Since October 2023, the ministry said, at least 74,695 people have been killed and 176,093 injured in the war.
Cold-related deaths rise as flood damage spreads
The ministry also reported that cold-related deaths have risen to 11, after a nine-month-old baby died from hypothermia, the first such death this winter. Most residents are displaced and living in tents or damaged buildings as water damage from recent heavy rains spreads. Israeli attacks have escalated across Gaza despite the October ceasefire.
