The official sources from the militant group confirmed that Israeli airstrikes claimed the life of Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel during a Sunday attack in southern Gaza while residents noted Israel’s ordered military campaign was getting stronger. Hamas-aligned media confirmed that the Khan Younis airstrike destroyed political office member Bardaweel and his spouse. The Israeli authorities remained without official statement about the incident.
Through a Facebook post Taher Al-Nono shared his sadness about the loss of Bardaweel after his recent death. Gazans returned to fleeing their homes when Israel decided to drop the truce during the seventeen-month conflict thus starting another massive air and land attack against Hamas on Tuesday.
Explosions echoed throughout the north, central and southern Gaza Strip early on Sunday, as Israeli planes hit several targets in those areas in what witnesses said was an escalation of the attack that began on Tuesday. At least 30 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah and Khan Younis so far on Sunday, health authorities said. Those killed included three municipal employees, medics said.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning on X for residents in the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah in the south of the strip, saying the military was launching an onslaught there to eradicate “terrorist organizations”. In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of assassinating Bardaweel, who it said was praying along with his wife when an Israeli missile struck their tent shelter in Khan Younis. “His blood, that of his wife and martyrs, will remain fuelling the battle of liberation and independence. The criminal enemy will not break our determination and will,” said the group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said the main aim of the war is to destroy Hamas as a military and governing entity. He has said the aim of the new campaign is to force the group to give up remaining hostages.
Hamas’ de facto government head Essam Addalees and internal security chief Mahmoud Abu Watfa were among those killed by Israeli strikes on Tuesday, in addition to several other officials. Palestinian health officials said at least 400 people, more than half of them women and children, were killed on Tuesday. Palestinian medics said an Israeli plane bombed a house in Rafah, wounding several people.
Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the terms of the January ceasefire agreement by refusing to begin negotiations for an end to the war and a withdrawal of its troops from Gaza. But Hamas has said it is still willing to negotiate and was studying “bridging” proposals from U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
The return to the air strikes and ground operations that have devastated Gaza has drawn calls for a ceasefire from Arab and European countries. Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement calling on Israel to restore access for humanitarian aid. Israel has blocked the entry of goods into Gaza and Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser, Ophir Falk, accused Hamas of taking aid for its own use, a charge Hamas has previously denied.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after a devastating Hamas attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 that killed some 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally, and saw 251 abducted as hostages. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, and devastated much of the coastal enclave, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in tents and makeshift shelters.
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