Senior Hamas Leader Salah Al-Bardawil Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Khan Younis
Hamas accuses Israel of targeted assassination amid renewed bombardment and collapse of ceasefire.
Watan-Hamas and Palestinian media announced early Sunday morning the martyrdom of Salah Al-Bardawil, a political leader in the movement, in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Media reports stated that Al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, and his wife were killed in the Israeli strike. There has been no official comment yet from Israeli authorities.
Israel has effectively abandoned the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19 and resumed its intense airstrikes on Gaza last Tuesday, ending nearly two months of relative calm.
Sounds of explosions echoed throughout northern, central, and southern Gaza in the early hours of the morning, as Israeli aircraft targeted multiple locations in what witnesses described as an escalation of the offensive that began last week.
Al-Bardawil and wife killed during night prayers; Hamas accuses Israel of assassination
Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of assassinating Al-Bardawil, saying that he and his wife were performing Qiyam al-Layl (night prayers) when an Israeli missile struck their tent in Khan Younis.
Hamas said:”We affirm that his blood, his wife’s blood, and the blood of all the righteous martyrs will remain fuel for the battle of liberation and return. This criminal enemy will not break our will nor our steadfastness.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that the main goal of the war is to eliminate Hamas as a military and governing entity. He added that the aim of the new campaign is to force the movement to release the remaining hostages it holds.
Palestinian medics said that an Israeli aircraft struck a house in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, injuring several people.
