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# Israel Kills Senior Hamas Khan Younis Commander Linked to October 7 Attack
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/israel-kills-senior-hamas-khan-younis-commander-linked-to-october-7-attack/
- Published: 2026-09-12T05:55:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-12T05:55:34.000Z
- Description: Israel has killed Mohammed al-Yazouri, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, in an airstrike in southern Gaza. Hamas confirmed his death and said the senior military commander had played a prominent role in planning the October 7 attack.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: conflict, The Day So Far, Top Stories, has-audio

Israel has killed Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri, the commander of Hamas's powerful Khan Younis Brigade, in an airstrike in southern Gaza, with Hamas confirming the death of one of its most senior remaining military figures.

Al-Yazouri, also known as Abu al-Haitham, was killed on Thursday evening in the Khan Younis area. Israel's military and Shin Bet intelligence agency announced his death on Friday, and Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, later confirmed that he had been killed.

Both sides also agree on one particularly significant detail: al-Yazouri played an important role in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Hamas said he had played a “prominent role” in planning the assault, while the Israeli military described him as a senior commander responsible for directing operations against Israeli forces and civilians.

Al-Yazouri had risen through several important positions within Hamas's military structure. Before becoming commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, he served as its deputy commander, headed its combat support battalion and led the brigade's intelligence department. Hamas also identified him as a member of the higher leadership council of the al-Qassam Brigades.

> 🚨The IDF eliminated Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade Commander in a strike in the Gas Strip. [pic.twitter.com/9KY956OgQY](https://t.co/9KY956OgQY?ref=theglobalvoice.com)
> 
> — Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) [September 11, 2026](https://x.com/JewishWarrior13/status/2098338419218829348?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com)

That made him considerably more important than a battlefield commander.

The Khan Younis Brigade has historically been one of Hamas's most important military formations in southern Gaza. The brigade's previous commander, Rafa'a Salameh, was killed alongside Mohammed Deif, the longtime head of Hamas's military wing, in an Israeli strike in July 2024\. Al-Yazouri eventually emerged as the brigade's commander as Hamas attempted to rebuild a leadership structure repeatedly targeted during the war.

Israel says he had continued doing exactly that.

According to the IDF, al-Yazouri had recently been working to restore the Khan Younis Brigade's military capabilities after the organisation suffered heavy losses during years of fighting. Israeli officials said he had also been directing dozens of planned attacks against Israeli forces.

Two other Hamas members were killed in the same strike, according to Israel. They were identified as Hudhaifa Muammar, a company commander, and Muhammad Bahjat Rashi, another member of the Khan Younis Brigade.

The killing comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Gaza. Fighting has continued despite efforts to stabilise the territory, with Israel carrying out strikes against Hamas figures it says are rebuilding military capabilities or preparing attacks. Hamas, meanwhile, retains armed personnel and organisational structures in parts of Gaza despite losing much of the senior leadership that commanded the group when the war began.

Al-Yazouri's death adds another name to an increasingly long list.

Yahya Sinwar was killed in October 2024\. Mohammed Sinwar, another senior Hamas military figure, was killed in 2025\. Israel later killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad and Mohammed Odeh in May 2026, both of whom had occupied senior positions in Hamas's battered military hierarchy.

The repeated killings have forced Hamas to promote commanders from lower levels while attempting to preserve local brigades and rebuild command structures.

Al-Yazouri represented precisely that process: an experienced commander who had survived the earlier stages of the war, moved through the Khan Younis Brigade's leadership and eventually took command after his predecessors were killed.

His death therefore matters beyond the loss of one individual.

Israel's campaign against Hamas's leadership has increasingly become a war against the organisation's ability to regenerate. Senior commanders are killed, replacements are appointed, and those replacements become the next targets.

Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri had risen through that cycle to command one of Hamas's most important brigades.

Now he has become its latest casualty.