Israeli Airstrike Kills Top Hamas Leader, Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 50,000
A powerful Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis has killed Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior political leader of Hamas, a Hamas official confirmed to the BBC.
Local sources reported that the airstrike killed both Bardaweel and his wife. However, Israeli officials have not made any official comment on the incident yet.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, the total death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 50,000 since the war began. On Sunday alone, at least 30 people were killed in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Who was Salah al-Bardaweel?
Salah al-Bardaweel, aged 66, was one of Hamas’s most prominent political leaders and considered Israeli Airstrike
the group’s highest-ranking figure after the reported deaths of Yahya Sinwar and Rawhi Mushtaha.
Born in Khan Younis refugee camp, Bardaweel was a father of eight and known to be very close to Yahya Sinwar. He led Hamas’s political bloc in parliament and was re-elected to the political bureau in 2021.
Hamas stated that Bardaweel and his wife were praying inside their tent when the Israeli missile strike hit.
Heavy Bombardment in Southern Gaza
The airstrike was part of one of the most intense waves of aerial attacks in southern Gaza since the recent collapse of the ceasefire agreement. Israeli forces also launched ground assaults and shelling in Rafah, particularly in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood.
Witnesses reported tank fire and helicopter assaults from Israeli Israeli Airstrike
forces along the Philadelphi Corridor near the Egypt-Gaza border.
A Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson told the BBC that several param
edics were injured while trying to reach the site of Israeli strikes, and contact was lost with one rescue team trapped for hours.
Local resident Alaa al-Din Sabah described the terrifying scene:
“Bullets are raining down on us like it’s pouring. A woman was shot and is bleeding. Ambulances couldn’t reach her. I can see one of the paramedics lying on the ground, screaming.”
Background of the Conflict
Israel began its military campaign against Hamas following the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken.
Since then, the war has led to the deaths of more than 49,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and caused massive destruction across the region.
Current Situation
Tensions remain extremely high as Israel continues its campaign, aiming to eliminate Hamas Israeli Airstrike
leadership. Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are worsening rapidly, with homes, hospitals, and vital infrastructure destroyed.
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