The IDF and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, announced on Tuesday that Nael Abu Obeid, the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, was killed in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
Abu Obeid had taken over the position after his predecessor, Mohammad Shabanah, was killed by the IDF in May 2025.
According to the IDF, Abu Obeid was a senior Hamas figure who previously served as deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and as commander of the Tel al-Sultan and Yibna battalions.
The IDF said that, while leading the Rafah Brigade, Abu Obeid directed attacks against Israeli forces and coordinated military operations targeting IDF troops.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strike, stating, “Our message is clear: no terrorist is immune, and Hamas will not be in Gaza.”
In its announcement of Abu Obeid’s death, the IDF said its forces “remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat.”
The IDF also identified Ahmad Batash as a logistics operative for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ Northern Gaza Brigade, saying he played a central role in supplying weapons and equipment to Hamas fighters in the area.
Last Thursday, the IDF and Shin Bet killed Muhammad Yazouri in the Khan Yunis area. Yazouri served as commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, part of the group’s military wing in the Gaza Strip.
Yazouri had held several positions within the brigade before his appointment, including deputy commander, commander of its combat support battalion and head of its intelligence department. In his role, he was responsible for directing brigade operatives and advancing attacks against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.