Israeli Air Strike Kills Top Hamas Leader in Gaza, Ceasefire Talks Collapse
An Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, has killed Salah al-Bardaweel, a top Hamas political leader, according to a Hamas official speaking to the BBC. Locals say the strike also killed his wife. Israel has not yet commented on the incident.
The death toll in Gaza since the war began has now passed 50,000, as reported by Hamas-run health authorities. On Sunday alone, at least 30 people were killed in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Israel recently resumed heavy strikes on Gaza, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire. They blame Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the truce. Hamas, however, accuses Israel of breaking the original deal, which was mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. That deal included plans for Israeli troops to withdraw, hostages and prisoners to be released, and talks to end the war and rebuild Gaza.
Hamas stated that Bardaweel, 66, was praying with his wife in their tent when an Israeli missile hit. He was a father of eight and one of Hamas’s most well-known political figures. Born in a Khan Younis refugee camp, he was close to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and part of the group’s second-generation leadership. Bardaweel led Hamas’s political wing and was re-elected to its political bureau in 2021.
This air strike was part of a major wave of attacks in southern Gaza since the ceasefire broke down last Tuesday. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told the BBC that Israeli forces surrounded their ambulances as they tried to reach bombed areas in Rafah. Several paramedics were injured, and one team has been trapped for hours without contact.
Residents in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood reported heavy shelling and a ground assault. Israeli tanks fired from the Philadelphi Corridor near Egypt, and helicopters joined the attack. One resident told the BBC, “Bullets are raining down like it’s pouring. A woman was shot and is bleeding, but ambulances can’t reach her.”
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas began after the group’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, over 49,500 Palestinians have been killed, and Gaza’s homes and infrastructure have been heavily destroyed, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
This report, based on BBC sources, highlights the ongoing violence and the collapse of peace efforts, leaving civilians caught in the crossfire. The situation remains dire, with no clear path to ending the conflict.
Credit: BBC News for original reporting and details.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5zxe5l58go