Hamas' armed wing said Samir Abu Younis, 53, served as the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades' Rafah brigade and helped plan and oversee the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel

An ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas that escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale assault on southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis with mass casualties and widespread displacement.