An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed a Hamas political leader, Salah al-Bardaweel, on Sunday, the militant group said, as Palestinian officials put the death toll from nearly 18 months of conflict at over 50,000.
Hamas said the airstrike on Khan Younis killed Bardaweel and his wife.
The Israeli military announced in a statement on Sunday that the Hamas official was killed on Saturday. “This elimination further degrades Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” the authorities said.
Gazans are fleeing for their lives after Israel abandoned a ceasefire and launched a new air and ground attack against Hamas on Tuesday.
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Explosions rang out over the north, centre, and southern Gaza Strip early Sunday, as Israeli planes targeted various targets in those locations in what witnesses described as an intensification of the week’s attacks.
Health officials said that at least 30 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah and Khan Younis on Sunday. Three city employees were among those murdered, according to doctors.
Bardaweel was a member of the Hamas decision-making body, the political office, and had held posts such as heading the Hamas delegation for indirect truce talks with Israel in 2009 and led the group’s media office in 2005.
“His blood, that of his wife and martyrs, will remain fuelling the battle of liberation and independence,” the group said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that the primary goal of the conflict is to dismantle Hamas as a military and administrative entity. He has stated that the goal of the new campaign is to force the organisation to hand over the remaining hostages.
Read Also: Hamas Free 6 Hostages Yet Gaza Ceasefire’s Future Remains Unclear
Israel started its initial attack on Gaza after Hamas fighters infiltrated southern Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 prisoners, according to Israeli estimates.
Hamas has accused Israel of violating the conditions of the January cease-fire agreement by refusing to initiate negotiations for the conclusion of the war and the departure of its troops from Gaza. Hamas remains open to negotiations and is considering “bridging” offers from Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of President Donald Trump.
