An Israeli air strike on the southern city of Khan Younis in Gaza has killed senior Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel. Locals reported that the strike also claimed the life of Bardaweel’s wife as they were praying in their tent.
Bardaweel, 66, was regarded as Hamas’s highest-ranking political leader following the deaths of Yahya Sinwar and Rawhi Mushtaha in the ongoing conflict. A father of eight, he was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp and was known for his close ties to Sinwar. He previously headed Hamas’s parliamentary bloc and was re-elected to the group’s political bureau in 2021.
The airstrike was part of one of the most intense waves of Israeli bombardment in southern Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed last Tuesday. At least 30 people were killed in Khan Younis and Rafah on Sunday alone, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities. The overall death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 50,000 since the war began.
Israel resumed heavy strikes on Gaza earlier this week, effectively ending a nearly two-month ceasefire. Israeli officials blamed Hamas for rejecting a new US-backed proposal to extend the truce, while Hamas accused Israel of abandoning the original agreement mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. The original deal had included Israeli military withdrawal, the release of hostages and prisoners, and negotiations for a long-term peace settlement.
As the conflict intensifies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to “seize additional territories” in Gaza, signaling a further expansion of Israeli operations in the reg
