IDF says Hamas Rafah Brigade chief, other terror commanders killed in Gaza strikes
Military says Nael Abu Obeid was a ‘central figure’ in Hamas who also headed its operations division; Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel on Oct. 7 among additional targets
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The military announced on Tuesday that several Hamas commanders and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, were killed in recent strikes in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet confirmed late Tuesday that Nael Abu Obeid, who commanded Hamas’s Rafah Brigade and headed its operations division, was among those killed, describing him as “central figure” in the terror group.
According to a joint IDF and Shin Bet statement, Abu Obeid took over the role of Rafah Brigade commander following the killing of the brigade’s previous chief, Muhammad Shabana, on May 13, 2025, in a strike that also killed Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar.
As Rafah Brigade chief, the military said, Abu Obeid worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities and advance attacks on Israel.
The IDF and Shin Bet did not specify where Abu Obeid was targeted on Tuesday. Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas, reported that two people, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed and 14 others wounded in a strike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
“No terrorist is immune and Hamas won’t be in Gaza,” said both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
???? ELIMINATED: Nael Abu Obeid, Commander of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade and Head of Hamas’ Military Wing Operations Array.
Abu Obeid was a key figure among Hamas׳ senior leadership. He was responsible for managing the activities of the brigade’s terrorists and directing them to advance… https://t.co/n4o4IVWevS pic.twitter.com/DRvjc7vfYk
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 15, 2026
The IDF had earlier told The Times of Israel that a Tuesday strike on Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood targeted a terror operative in the area, and said further details would be provided later.
Palestinian media in the Strip reported that two were killed in the strike, including a child identified as Muhammad al-Zinati; his age was not specified.
The reports said that seven others were wounded in the strike.
Witnesses said additional casualties resulted from a second strike that hit near a group of people who rushed to help in the rescue.
An unverified video published by Palestinian media showed a missile exploding near at least five men.
#عاجل | ارتقاء الطفل محمد الزيناتي جراء قصف طائرات الاحتلال للمارة في الشارع الثالث بحي الشيخ رضوان شمالي مدينة غزة، حيث كان في محيط منطقة سكنه. pic.twitter.com/nbsfEJprQh
— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) September 15, 2026
The IDF also announced Tuesday that it had killed two senior Hamas commanders in strikes the day before, as well as a member of the terror group’s weapons production unit.
One of the commanders was identified as Ahmad al-Batash, who, according to the IDF, was the commander of the Jabalia Battalion in Hamas’s North Gaza Brigade. Palestinian media published a “martyr poster” identifying Batash as a senior commander in the terror group.
He was killed in a strike on a car in northern Gaza late Monday night.
As it has in the wake of other recent strikes, the military said Batash was involved lately in advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians and tried to restore Hamas’s capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”
“The terrorist was eliminated to remove the threat he posed,” the army said.
عكا/ حدشوت للو تسنزورا:
اغتيال القيادي البارز في كتائب القسام "أحمد البطش" إثر غارة جوية استهدفت مركبة كان يستقلها شمال غرب مدينة #غزة. pic.twitter.com/IQSZDk1ttg— غزة الآن – Gaza Now (@nowgnna) September 14, 2026
The other senior Hamas commander was identified by the IDF as Rafat Abu Zamar, a company commander in the terror group’s operations division.
According to the army, Abu Zamar led training for terrorists ahead of the October 7 onslaught, and recently was involved in training operatives and developing Hamas’s capabilities.
A separate strike in Gaza City on Monday killed Muhammad Khader Fahmi Aghour, identified by the IDF as a member of Hamas involved in the production of weapons.
The military said the strikes on Abu Zamar and Aghour were carried out after both were involved in advancing attacks and restoring Hamas capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”
On Thursday, an Israeli strike killed Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Yazouri, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.
In the past two weeks alone, some 25 terror operatives were killed in Israeli strikes in the Strip, including at least 10 commanders in Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, according to the military.
Palestinians held public funerals for Batash and Abu Zamar on Tuesday, with footage showing Batash’s body wrapped in a Hamas flag inside Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, as an M16 assault rifle was placed on top of his body.
“Israel thinks… it will eliminate the resistance and the spirit of jihad within us,” said Khalil Al-Batash, a relative of the dead Hamas commander.
“I tell them that this cowardly operation only strengthens our people’s determination to continue on this path,” he told Reuters at the funeral.
IDF says weekend strike killed PIJ terrorist who attacked on Oct. 7
Separately, the IDF announced that a strike over the weekend killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
The strike in Khan Younis killed Mohsen Farid Said Abu Hadaf, who the military said served as the commander of a rocket squad in the terror group.
On October 7, Abu Hadaf raided the Kissufim area, according to the IDF.
Recently, the military said, Abu Hadaf had been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”
“The terrorist was eliminated to remove the threat he posed,” the IDF added.
חיל-האוויר חיסל ראש חולייה מארגון הטרור גא"פ שפשט למרחב כיסופים בטבח 7 באוקטובר
חיל-האוויר תקף בסוף השבוע שעבר בחאן יונס שבדרום רצועת עזה, וחיסל את המחבל מוחסן פריד סעיד אבו הדאף, ראש חוליית רקטות בארגון הטרור גא"פ.
המחבל פשט למרחב כיסופים בטבח 7 באוקטובר.
בעת האחרונה, המחבל… pic.twitter.com/SyYkNRarfJ
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) September 15, 2026
The strike came nearly a year after a US-backed ceasefire took effect in October 2025, bringing an end to large-scale fighting but not to intermittent Israeli strikes in Gaza. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement, while Israel has accused terror groups of repeatedly breaching it and continuing efforts to rebuild its military capabilities, saying this justified the strikes.
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.
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.
The Times of Israel Community.