Israel Says It Killed Hamas Commander Muhammad Suleiman Byouk in Khan Younis

The Israeli military says its forces killed Hamas commander Muhammad Suleiman Byouk in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, accusing him of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attacks.

According to the Israeli military’s announcement on Saturday, Thursday’s airstrike in Khan Younis killed Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, a commander of Hamas’s military wing. (Al Jazeera’s live blog had earlier given the location as central Gaza; the location was corrected per the IDF and Times of Israel.)

The claim comes on a busy day of fighting in the region. Also on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the son of the Gaza Health Ministry’s director general, Munir al-Bursh — an attack separate from the claim about the Hamas commander. So far, Hamas has not confirmed Byouk’s killing.

The announcement fits a growing Israeli military presence on several fronts. Over the past week, Israel has stepped up strikes in southern Lebanon and raids in the West Bank, while fierce fighting continues in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi and government forces.

The regional context remains tense. Iran, through senior security official Mohsen Rezaei, has sent the U.S. its conditions for starting talks via Qatari mediators, while Washington and Gulf Arab leaders prepare for this week’s UN assembly, where the U.S.–Iran war is expected to dominate the agenda.

Burimi: Al Jazeera