Israel kills Hamas Rafah Brigade commander in targeted air strike

Israel kills Hamas Rafah commander in latest Gaza assassination. (Photo/AP)

Israel has killed the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Palestinian resistance group Hamas's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Nael Abu Obeid, in an air strike, Palestinian sources and Israeli officials confirmed.

In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that the military struck the Rafah Brigade chief, stating the strike followed the assassination earlier this week of Khan Younis Brigade commander Muhammad Abd al-Salam al-Yazouri alongside other senior officials.

Netanyahu and Katz declared that Israel's message is that Hamas "will not remain in the Gaza Strip."

In a separate statement, Katz hailed the "success of the operation", affirming that his policy alongside Netanyahu remains uncompromising.

Escalating targeted assassinations

Palestinian sources reported that Abu Obeid had assumed command of the Rafah Brigade during the Israeli genocidal war, succeeding former commander Muhammad Shabana, who was killed in another Israeli strike in May 2025.

The strike represents the fourth targeted assassination carried out by the Israeli military in the past week against senior Palestinian figures.

The wave of attacks included the killing of Khan Younis chief al-Yazouri on Friday, the commander of the Jabalia battalion in northern Gaza several days earlier, and an Islamic Jihad commander.

The Israeli escalation comes amid mounting Palestinian civilian killings from truce breaches.

Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement have killed 1,372 Palestinians and wounded 4,659 others.

Since October 8, 2023, Israel's genocidal war in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, injured over 174,000 others, and destroyed approximately 90 percent of the enclave's infrastructure.

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Source: TRT