Israeli airstrike kills Hamas political leader in Khan Younis
Explosions echoed throughout northern, central and southern Gaza Strip early Sunday
An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis killed Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel on Sunday, Hamas officials and the Israeli military said, as residents reported an escalation in the Israeli military campaign that began on Tuesday.
Pro-Hamas media said the airstrike killed Bardaweel, who is a member of the group's political office, as well as his wife. The Israeli military later confirmed the killing.
Taher Al-Nono, the media adviser of the Hamas leadership, mourned Bardaweel's death in a post on his Facebook page.
After two months of relative calm, Gazans were again fleeing for their lives after Israel effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching an all-out air and ground campaign on Tuesday against Gaza's dominant Palestinian militant group, Hamas.
Explosions echoed throughout the northern, central and southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday, as Israeli planes hit several targets in what witnesses said was an escalation of the attack that began on Tuesday.
At least 18 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah and Khan Younis so far on Sunday, health authorities said.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning on social media for residents in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah, in southern Gaza, saying the military was launching an onslaught there to eradicate "terrorist organizations."
In a statement, Hamas said Bardaweel 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," the group said.
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 goal of the new campaign is to force the group to give up remaining hostages.
Hamas's de facto government head, Essam Addalees, and its internal security chief, Mahmoud Abu Watfa, were among several officials killed by Israeli strikes on Tuesday.
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 a final 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 brought forth by Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump.
The return of the airstrikes 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. Ophir Falk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser, has accused Hamas of taking aid for its own use, a charge Hamas has previously denied.
The war was sparked after a Hamas-led attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 others captive, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel responded with a military campaign in which more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, who issued the latest death toll on Sunday. Thousands more are feared still buried and uncounted for under the rubble, and the attacks have devastated much of the coastal enclave, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in tents and makeshift shelters.
With files from The Associated Press