Senior Al-Qassam commander Muhammad Al-Yazuri was killed alongside military engineer Hudhaifa Abu Muammar in an Israeli drone strike in Khan Yunis on Friday.

Key Takeaways

• Muhammad Al-Yazuri, known as Abu Al-Haitham and commander of Al-Qassam Brigades’ Khan Yunis Brigade, was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Al-Mawasi.
• Hudhaifa Abu Muammar, described as an Al-Qassam military engineer involved in developing the group’s capabilities, was killed in the same attack.
• Separate Israeli attacks killed and wounded Palestinians across Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia and Gaza City as violations of the October ceasefire continued.

Khan Yunis Brigade Commander Killed

Muhammad Al-Yazuri, a senior leader in the Al-Qassam Brigades and commander of its Khan Yunis Brigade, was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Gaza, Quds News Network reported Friday, citing Palestinian sources.

Al-Yazuri, known as Abu al-Haitham, was walking with another Palestinian on the main road near the Dome Mosque in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis, when an Israeli drone targeted them, according to field sources cited by Quds News Network. Both were killed immediately.

The intensity of the strike left Al-Yazuri’s body severely disfigured, preventing his identification during the first hours following the attack. People close to him confirmed his identity at dawn, according to QNN.

From the funeral procession of Mohammad al-Yazouri, the commander of the Qassam Brigades in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

Yazouri was killed, along with Hudhaifa Abu Muammar, an engineer in the Qassam Brigades, in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza… https://t.co/MkT6E1qPWC pic.twitter.com/sC3VEtSukR

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) September 11, 2026

Al-Yazuri had reportedly assumed command of Al-Qassam’s Khan Yunis Brigade following the killing of senior commanders Ezz El-Din Al-Haddad and Muhammad Awda in May.

Before his promotion, he had been responsible for Al-Qassam operations in central and western Khan Yunis.

He had risen through the movement’s military ranks and held sensitive security and intelligence positions, according to informed sources cited by QNN.

Al-Yazuri was also reportedly involved in managing military operations during the Gaza war and in arrangements surrounding the handover of Israeli detainees during exchange agreements.

Survived Previous Assassination Attempts

Al-Yazuri had reportedly been targeted by Israeli intelligence on several previous occasions. One of the most significant attempts occurred during the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ confrontation in 2021, when Israel bombed a major tunnel in Khan Yunis.

According to QNN, Al-Yazuri was inside the tunnel alongside senior Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Sinwar and Rafe’ Salama. Those inside survived the attack.

Hudhaifa Abu Muammar, described as an Al-Qassam military engineer involved in developing the movement’s military capabilities, was killed alongside Al-Yazuri in Friday’s strike.

Abu Muammar, from the Ma’an area east of Khan Yunis, was reportedly responsible for several military operations against Israeli forces during the war and maintained close connections with senior figures in Al-Qassam’s military structure.

Sources cited by QNN suggested Abu Muammar may have been the primary target of the attack and that Israeli intelligence had not anticipated Al-Yazuri would be with him.

In a separate attack, Israeli occupation forces targeted a vehicle in Hamad City, north of Khan Yunis, killing Mo’men Abu Labda.

QNN identified Abu Labda as a prominent Al-Qassam field commander operating east of Rafah who had previously survived several Israeli assassination attempts.

استشهاد قائد لواء خان يونس في كتائب القسام القيادي محمد اليازوري في عملية اغتيال نفذها الاحتلال. pic.twitter.com/NW4gc6PDmn

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 11, 2026

Israeli Attacks Continue across Gaza

The targeted killings came amid continuing Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire that took effect on October 11, 2025.

Al Mayadeen reported that an Israeli attack near the entrance to Al-Sumoud camp, west of Khan Yunis, killed a Palestinian and wounded 12 others on Friday. Palestinians were also wounded by Israeli shelling in the Alwan area of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

Separately, a Palestinian died from wounds sustained in an Israeli attack on a group of people in Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighborhood on Thursday.

According to the latest figures cited by Al Mayadeen, Israeli attacks since the ceasefire have killed more than 1,359 Palestinians and wounded more than 4,571.

Since October 7, 2023, more than 73,670 Palestinians have been killed and more than 174,682 wounded in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

(PC, QNN, Al Mayadeen)