IDF kills commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade in southern Gaza airstrike
Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Yazouri, also known as Abu al-Haitham, advanced dozens of attacks on troops, was working to rebuild brigade’s capabilities, military says
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An airstrike late Thursday in the southern Gaza Strip killed the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, the Israeli military and the terror group said on Friday morning.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet said that Khan Younis Brigade commander Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Yazouri was involved in advancing dozens of attacks on troops, as well as restoring Hamas’s capabilities.
The same strike in Khan Younis also killed Hudheifa Muammar, a company commander, and Muhammad Bahjat Rashi, another Hamas operative, according to the IDF.
“IDF forces under the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement, and will continue to operate to eliminate any immediate threat,” the military said.
The previous Khan Younis Brigade chief, Rafa’a Salameh, was killed alongside Hamas military wing chief Muhammad Deif in July 2024.
The army published footage of the strike that killed Yazouri.
צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו את מפקד חטיבת חאן יונס בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס
בתקיפה מדויקת אמש, צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו במרחב חאן יונס את מחמד יאזורי ששימש כמפקד חטיבת חאן יונס בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס ברצועת עזה>>> pic.twitter.com/OhrUhPhbGz
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 11, 2026
Hamas announced Yazouri’s death ahead of the IDF, publishing a “martyr poster” for the commander, also known as Abu al-Haitham, on a Telegram account that the terror group uses to announce the deaths of members.
In a separate strike in Khan Younis on Thursday, the military said it killed Moamen Jabr Al-Sayed Abu Labda, the commander of a Hamas sniper cell in the terror group’s Rafah Brigade.
The military said Abu Labda “carried out sniper training across the Gaza Strip” in preparation for attacks, as well as tried to restore Hamas capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”
The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage.
The ensuing war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 73,400 people in Gaza, including more than 1,330 since the October 2025 ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 24,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,200 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. It believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative.
While the October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, it hasn’t ended strikes by the IDF, which the military says are meant to thwart attacks by Gaza terrorists.
Gaza remains bisected into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas, and talks to bring about Hamas’s disarmament and the territory’s reconstruction have made only limited progress.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 477. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.
The Times of Israel Community.