Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Tuesday evening that the IDF struck the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade in southern Gaza, identified as Nael Abu Ubaid (Abu Atiya). The strike follows the elimination of the Khan Younis Brigade commander and other senior Hamas figures earlier this week, they said, adding that "no terrorist is immune, and Hamas will not be in Gaza."
At approximately 22:08 Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the IDF struck the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, Nael Abu Ubaid (Abu Atiya). The announcement capped a rapid sequence of reports in the same hour: first, the IDF and Shin Bet reported striking a senior Hamas operative in southern Gaza; moments later, Israeli media and security analysts identified the target as the Rafah Brigade commander; then, in a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz officially confirmed the strike, declaring that "no terrorist is immune, and Hamas will not be in Gaza."
The strike on Abu Ubaid comes four days after the elimination of the Khan Younis Brigade commander, Muhammad Abdul Salam al-Yazour, in a precision strike confirmed by the IDF and Shin Bet on Friday, September 11, as The Zioneer reported. The operation is part of an ongoing campaign targeting Hamas's remaining brigade-level commanders in Gaza. Earlier this summer, the Rafah Brigade's Yibna Battalion commander was eliminated (The Zioneer, June 30), and the IDF has struck multiple company and battalion commanders in recent weeks.
The Rafah Brigade is one of Hamas's five regional brigades, responsible for the southernmost Gaza sector along the Egyptian border. Its command echelon has faced systematic targeting in the IDF's campaign to dismantle Hamas's military leadership. As The Zioneer reported on September 1, the capture of Hamas's internal security chief provided critical intelligence that has driven subsequent strikes. The Southern Command fire center has been praised for precision in the current operation.
As of 22:47 Jerusalem, the IDF has not confirmed whether Abu Ubaid was killed in the strike, and no casualty figures have been released. Details on the strike's location and any additional casualties remain pending.
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