The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) said on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that they killed Nael Abu Obeid, commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
IDF and Shin Bet say they killed Hamas Rafah Brigade commander in southern Gaza strike
The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) said on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that they killed Nael Abu Obeid, commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to a joint IDF-Shin Bet statement, Abu Obeid had previously served as deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and commander of the Tel al-Sultan and Yibna Battalions. The IDF said he directed attacks against Israeli troops during his tenure as Rafah Brigade commander.
Abu Obeid replaced Mohammad Shabanah, whom the IDF said it killed in May 2025.
Also on Tuesday, the IDF announced that it had killed Ahmad Batash, commander of Hamas's Jabaliya Battalion in the Northern Gaza Brigade, in a separate strike in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday night. The IDF said Batash managed logistics for the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades Northern Gaza Brigade and was involved in supplying weapons and equipment to Hamas fighters in the area.
The previous Thursday, the IDF and Shin Bet announced the killing of Muhammad Yazouri, described as commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, in the Khan Yunis area. The IDF said Yazouri had previously held several roles in the brigade, including deputy commander, commander of the combat support battalion, and head of its intelligence department, and that he directed terrorist activity against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.
In the statement announcing Abu Obeid's death, the IDF said it 'remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strike, stating that 'our message is clear: no terrorist is immune, and Hamas will not be in Gaza.'
- The source does not state Hamas's response or confirmation of Abu Obeid's death.
- The source does not identify the specific location within the southern Gaza Strip where the strike on Abu Obeid took place.
- The source does not specify what 'the agreement' refers to in the IDF statement that forces 'remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement.'
- The source does not provide casualty figures beyond the named commanders, such as whether others were killed or wounded in the strikes.
- The source does not state the method or type of strike used in any of the three killings reported.
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