Israeli Strike Eliminates Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade Commander

Israeli forces carried out an overnight airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip that killed Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Yazouri, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade. The strike also eliminated two other brigade members—company commander Hudheifa Muammar and operative Muhammad Bahjat Rashi. In a separate operation the same day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet killed Moamen Jabr al-Sayed Abu Labda, the head of a sniper cell in Hamas’s Rafah Brigade. A later strike on a vehicle in western Gaza City killed Hamas engineers Hassan Ali Abu Nada and Abd al-Rahim Ahmad Khalil Khawa, wounding 13 other Palestinians.

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The Gaza war began with the October 2023 attacks that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and sparked a two-year Israeli military campaign. A U.S.–backed ceasefire took effect in October 2025, halting large-scale fighting but allowing intermittent Israeli strikes aimed at “restoring Hamas’s capabilities” that the IDF says violate the ceasefire. The recent operations targeted senior Hamas figures accused of planning attacks and rebuilding the group’s military infrastructure.

Times of IsraelTimes of IsraelIDF Kills Hamas Nukhba Force Member Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil in Khan Younis Strike: how 21 outlets framed it The Jerusalem PostReuters

• Hamas-run health ministry reports more than 73,400 Palestinian deaths since the war began, including over 1,330 since the 2025 ceasefire.

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• The IDF estimates it has killed over 24,000 Hamas combatants in Gaza and another 1,200 terrorists inside Israel during the Oct. 2023 onslaught.

Times of IsraelTimes of IsraelIDF Kills Hamas Nukhba Force Member Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil in Khan Younis Strike: how 21 outlets framed it The Jerusalem PostThe Jerusalem Post

• The western Gaza City strike left two dead and 13 injured.

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• In the past two weeks, Israeli forces have killed more than 20 Hamas operatives, among them five company commanders and five platoon commanders of the elite Nukhba Force.

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The group offered no comment on the sniper commander’s killing.

Times of Israel

Colonel Omri Mashiah, head of the IDF Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, told troops that the tunnel network in the northeastern Gaza city of Beit Hanun had been destroyed, describing the area as a “real terror town” now reduced to ruins.

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• The casualty figures differ sharply: the Hamas health ministry cites 73,400 Palestinian deaths, while the IDF reports 24,000 Hamas combatants killed. Both figures are presented as estimates by the respective parties.

Times of IsraelTimes of IsraelIDF Kills Hamas Nukhba Force Member Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil in Khan Younis Strike: how 21 outlets framed it Times of IsraelThe Jerusalem Post

• Hamas confirmed Yazouri’s death but did not immediately comment on Abu Labda’s killing.

YnetNews

• Medical staff in Gaza could not identify the two engineers killed in the western Gaza City strike, noting the bodies were “dismembered” and difficult to recognize.

Times of Israel

• “This is the ground that allows us to defend, and it is also the ground that allows us to attack if necessary,” — Col. Omri Mashiah

Jewish News Syndicate

These statements illustrate the operational focus of Israeli forces on dismantling Hamas leadership and infrastructure while emphasizing the contested narratives surrounding casualty counts and the humanitarian impact of the strikes.

Times of Israel