A powerful Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis has killed Salah al-Bardaweel, one of Hamas’s top political leaders, along with his wife. The strike occurred while they were reportedly praying inside a tent, according to a Hamas statement.
Bardaweel, 66, was among the most senior political figures in Hamas, often described as the group’s highest-ranking leader after the deaths of Yahya Sinwar and Rawhi Mushtaha in earlier strikes. He was a father of eight, born in the Khan Younis refugee camp, and had long been close to the movement’s core leadership. He also served as the head of Hamas’s political wing in parliament and was re-elected to the group’s political bureau in 2021.
The airstrike that killed Bardaweel was part of one of the most intense waves of bombing since the recent ceasefire collapsed. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported that over 50,000 people have now died since Israel’s military campaign began, with at least 30 killed on Sunday alone in Khan Younis and Rafah.
The renewed violence follows the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt. Israel resumed full-scale military operations after accusing Hamas of rejecting a new truce proposal. In response, Hamas blamed Israel for walking away from the original deal, which included an Israeli troop withdrawal, hostage-prisoner exchanges, and plans to end the war and rebuild Gaza.
Tensions remain high on the ground. In Rafah, Israeli forces launched heavy shelling and a limited ground operation. Eyewitnesses described bullets raining down in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. One resident told the BBC, “A woman was shot and is bleeding. Ambulances couldn’t reach her. A paramedic is lying on the ground screaming.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that several of its ambulances were blocked by Israeli troops and that contact was lost with a medical team trapped in the area. Several paramedics were also wounded.
The broader conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched a full military campaign to eliminate Hamas. Since then, Gaza has been devastated by thousands of airstrikes, with widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure and tens of thousands of lives lost.
